Indigenous led conservation – a critical review of Traditional Ecological Knowledge

Abstract

Evaluating the importance of Indigenous - Based Conservation with a critical review of Traditional Ecological Knowledge Studies can provide a useful framework for future management efforts. Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Ecological Knowledge have been used in the past few decades to collect and examine Indigenous - Knowledge and ecological knowledge Indigenous peoples have gained through oral teachings and traditional practices. Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Ecological Knowledge studies are thought to be inclusive frameworks to help represent Indigenous perspectives and values, for environmental assessment and management purposes, conservation management and environmental health studies. However, the development and implementation of the overall Traditional Knowledge framework and formation of theory, was developed through western-based perspectives and science, therefore resulting in heavy Euro-centric biases towards the topics and definitions of Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Ecological Knowledge studies. The idea and development for a new modern and Indigenous - based framework to discuss, form and collect Indigenous knowledge is both important, and necessary. To facilitate Indigenous selfdetermined and - defined Traditional Knowledge, interviews were conducted with Fort William First Nation band members to gain an understanding of the Indigenous perspective. Indigenous perspectives and self-definitions help to further the understandings of racially biased scientific protocols and to reduce these biases in environmental and conservation management.