The power of local knowledge in resource management

As an integral part of our history, our traditions give us a sense of identity and belonging, allowing us to evolve while retaining something original. Traditional practices teach us to learn from past mistakes, and build on successful examples. But tradition is not only limited to cultural and social customs, also extending to practices regarding resource and rangeland management. Traditional local knowledge has been a main asset in maintaining the livelihood of rural communities throughout history, and its importance has been highlighted by the FAO and the World Bank. Even so, local knowledge has not gained enough attention in high-level development programs, which is unfortunate given the potential it has.

Traditional local knowledge is defined as a cumulative body of beliefs, skills and practices developed by a specific community and applied to maintain its livelihood. Traditional knowledge is passed down from one generation to another orally, through first hand observation, and personal practice. Stories, rituals, customary norms, cultural values and agricultural practices are all part of traditional and indigenous knowledge.

Local knowledge encompasses several generations’ experiences related to agricultural practices, medical herbs and livestock production, which generally provide effective strategies for natural resource management. Local knowledge is dynamic.¹ It evolves and adapts to new circumstances. It is considered unique to a particular culture or society and it differs in terms of quantity and quality among community members according to age, gender, social standing and profession.²

Notwithstanding the proven importance of local traditional knowledge, traditional ecological systems are currently at risk of being forgotten. Fewer people are involved in traditional agricultural and pastoral activities, leaving these practices to the older generations. One of the main influences upon this trend is the drastic change of the cultural, political, economic, environmental and legal framework. New generations tend to view local traditional practices as backwards compared to Western knowledge and management techniques. New educational systems that embrace Western techniques over local ones have shifted the interest of the youth. As a consequence, they have become progressively more distant from local knowledge and its implementation.

Communities’ lifestyles in the West Asia and North Africa (WANA) region have been greatly influenced by politics and the emergence of new policies over the past few decades. These changes have gone hand in hand with environmental challenges, such as climate change and land degradation. These challenges pose an enormous threat to both the resilience and the adaptability of the local knowledge systems. In the WANA region British colonial rule forced most Bedouin families and tribes to abandon the nomadic lifestyles that their families had practiced for centuries, and adopt a form of semi-nomadism.³ Subsequently, the rapid population growth that has occurred in the WANA region over the past few decades has, induced the extensive use of the lands in order to respond to the increasing demand. This, along with climate change factors, such as frequent draughts, rainfall variability and desertification, resulted in pastoral rangeland degradation, and drove large groups of Bedouin nomads to settle in the city, and benefit from governmental services. The resettlement of Bedouin tribes over the past century affected their reliance on traditional knowledge. Their new sedentary life put more pressure on the already depleting surrounding resources. Another factor contributing to the loss of traditional knowledge is the complex framework of land tenure rights. New legal and economic systems, which are mainly based on western models, may alienate members of local communities.

Several organisations have taken the lead in reviving this concept in the WANA region. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL) have specifically focused on the revival of the Hima Concept. Hima means ‘protected area’ in Arabic. The system was developed more than 1500 years ago in the Arab Peninsula. After the revelation of Islam, its principles, values and norms were incorporated into the Hima system. In rangeland management, Hima is a system for organizing, maintaining, regulating and utilizing natural pasture and rangelands in a way that fits both the ecosystem and local practices. Today there are several Hima sites being successfully revived in the region. Hima Bani-Hashem in Jordan is a successful example of the achievement of an ecologically sustainable rangeland management by the local community following tribal traditions, and an initiative supporting social, ecological and economic activities. In this case both law enforcements and political support fostered the application of local tribal knowledge to the management of Hima Bani-Hashem.

Local and traditional knowledge must be revived in the natural resource management decision process, especially in rural areas. Stakeholders should consider traditional knowledge foundational for rural areas’ development systems. This knowledge should then be integrated with science and supported by political will and good governance. Strengthening such systems will result in great social and environmental benefits.

Efforts should be made in order to guarantee that traditional knowledge reaches young generations and to ensure their awareness. Local knowledge is directly linked to local responsibility, thus losing such knowledge has direct impacts on the local sense of ownership and accountability to the lands and the surrounding natural resources. The youth’s awareness of traditional practices’ benefits will ensure a sense of responsibility and accountability to local knowledge and thus to their lands.

The Hima example shows that traditional knowledge systems improve people’s livelihood and reduce poverty. Not only can these systems sustainably maintain a community, but they also help face environmental challenges, such as climate change, environmental degradation and resource depletion. Civil society actors, stakeholders and community members must invest in local knowledge practices and teachings. Tradition must not be forgotten. It should be adapted to modernity, and modern technologies should be designed to respond to local knowledge needs. This way, traditional systems will promote sustainability within a modern framework and become the foundation of new technologies.

1 Building on Gender, Agro biodiversity and local knowledge, FAO, 2004
2 Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Brockman, Aggie and Allice Legat, 1995 and Using Indigenous Knowledge in Agricultural Development, Warren, D. M., 1991
3 The Middle East People Groups and Their Distribution, DAVID ZEIDAN, OM-IRC, 1995