Psychology, culture, and local knowledge
Local Knowledge and Memory in Biodiversity Conservation Virginia D. Nazarea Department of
Anthropology, University of Georgia
▪ Conservation is not just about protecting nature; it is also about understanding human
behaviour & promoting sustainable behaviour.
▪ Different cultures have different ways of interacting with nature.
▪ Psychology helps us understand how beliefs, traditions, and emotions influence
conservation.
Culture is the way people live, think, and interact with their surroundings
It includes:
▪ Social values (what a society thinks is right or wrong)
▪ Traditional knowledge (practices passed down over generations)
▪ Language and communication (how people express their environmental beliefs)
▪ Spiritual connections to nature (beliefs that nature is sacred)
Culture affects how people use resources, protect the environment, or exploit it.
Relationship Between Local Knowledge and Conservation
▪ Local knowledge refers to the understanding of nature that communities develop over time.
▪ Many societies have developed sustainable practices based on their environment.
▪ People in different cultures see nature in different ways, which influences how they take
care of it.
▪ Conservation programs work better when they respect local knowledge and beliefs.
Local knowledge and cultural memory play a crucial role in biodiversity conservation. In her paper
Local Knowledge and Memory in Biodiversity Conservation, Virginia D. Nazarea highlights how
these traditional knowledge systems act as repositories of biodiversity knowledge, helping
communities preserve and manage natural resources over generations. Unlike rigid conservation
policies, local knowledge is dynamic, fluid, and resilient, adapting to environmental and cultural
changes. By passing down wisdom through oral traditions, rituals, and practices, communities
contribute to maintaining both cultural and biological diversity. Understanding and integrating this
knowledge with modern conservation efforts can create more sustainable and effective
environmental solutions.
Anthropology has always been deeply connected to local or indigenous knowledge, especially in
understanding how communities interact with their environment. Over time, researchers have
realized that this knowledge is not fixed but constantly evolving. Indigenous ways of classifying and
understanding nature adapt to changing circumstances, making them practical and relevant. This
dynamic nature of local knowledge helps communities manage resources wisely and respond
effectively to environmental challenges.
Ethnobiology and ethnoecology have highlighted the strong connection between local knowledge
and resource management, showing how cultural classifications shape environmental practices.
Indigenous communities use their deep understanding of ecosystems to manage resources
sustainably, ensuring biodiversity conservation. Their knowledge of plant and animal species,
seasonal patterns, and ecological relationships helps maintain ecological balance. By integrating
traditional wisdom with conservation efforts, societies can develop more effective and sustainable
environmental management strategies.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Indigenous Knowledge (IK) or Traditional Environmental Knowledge (TEK)
gained recognition as a valuable resource for sustainable conservation efforts. Researchers and
policymakers realized that local communities possessed deep ecological understanding, which
could enhance environmental protection. This led to efforts to document and preserve indigenous
knowledge, ensuring that both cultural traditions and biodiversity wisdom were not lost. By
safeguarding this knowledge, societies could benefit from traditional practices while promoting
long-term sustainability.
By the 1990s, scholars began to critique the earlier static or overly romanticized views of
Indigenous Knowledge (IK), recognizing that it is not a fixed set of traditions but a dynamic, evolving
system. Second-generation IK studies emphasized its adaptability, shaped by external influences
such as globalization, climate change, and technological advancements, as well as the agency of
local communities in modifying and preserving their knowledge. This shift in perspective
highlighted IK as a resilient, living system that continuously transforms to meet changing social and
environmental needs.
Indigenous conservation is not a separate, systematic effort but an integral part of daily life, woven
into cultural traditions, food practices, and agricultural methods. Unlike global conservation models
that rely on structured policies and scientific frameworks, indigenous communities maintain
biodiversity through experiential knowledge passed down through generations. For instance,
Andean farmers do not perceive conservation as a formal responsibility but as a natural outcome of
their farming traditions, such as seed exchange, crop rotation, and maintaining diverse plant
species suited to their environment. By "walking their seeds"—sharing, displaying, and trading
them—they enrich their germplasm, ensuring agricultural resilience and sustainability. Their
traditional diets, which include a variety of tubers, grains, and wild herbs, further reinforce
biodiversity by preserving heirloom crops and adapting cultivation methods to changing conditions.
Such practices highlight how indigenous conservation is a dynamic, living system, deeply embedded
in local knowledge, cultural memory, and everyday subsistence activities.
