Traditional knowledge refers to knowledge developed by indigenous peoples and passed down orally between generations. It is location-specific and concerns issues important for human and animal life. Indigenous knowledge is owned by individuals and includes facts and concepts describing the environment. Traditional knowledge plays a significant role in conservation by sustainably managing biodiversity for thousands of years. Indigenous communities have been responsible stewards of their lands and many protected areas overlap with their territories. Traditional knowledge can be protected through positive legal protections like laws and benefit sharing, or defensive mechanisms to prevent improper intellectual property acquisition.

1. Role of Traditional
Knowledge in Conservation

2. Traditional Knowledge
• Traditional knowledge refers to the knowledge, innovations and
practices of indigenous peoples. Developed from experience gained
over the centuries and adapted to the local culture and environment,
traditional knowledge is often transmitted orally from generation to
generation.

3. Characteristics of Traditional Knowledge
• Is generated within communities is location and culture specific
. Is the basis for decision making and survival strategies
. Is not systematically documented
.Concerns critical issues of human and animal life: primary production, human and animal life, natural
resource management.
.is dynamic and based on innovation, adaptation, and experimentation
Is oral and rural in nature

4. Indigenous Knowledge
• It is the knowledge owned by indigenous individuals as they learned it
by the experience of many years
• It includes facts, concepts, theories about the characteristics which
describe the objects, events, behaviours and interconnections that
comprise both the animate and inanimate environments of
Indigenous peoples.
• Even though Indigenous knowledge is not quantitative in nature, it
does not mean that it is not precise.

5. Characteristics of indigenous Knowledge
. holistic, specific, and situated knowledge:
• specific to a particular place
• accumulation of observations of places, processes and relations over time
• connected to continually of resource use, occupation, as well as maintenance of language and culture
• knowledge held collectively, with different people possessing different knowledge (such as different ages, gender,
genealogy, occupation)
• knowledge transfer often through oral transmission (and involvement in specific activities)
• collective nature of knowledge means that disruption of access to resources, loss of sovereignty rights, loss of people and
language (linked to colonisation and globalisation) negatively affects IK

7. Role and Value of TK
• There is today a growing appreciation of the value of traditional
knowledge. This knowledge is valuable not only to those who depend
on it in their daily lives, but to modern industry and agriculture as
well.
• Many widely used products, such as plant-based medicines, health
products and cosmetics, are derived from traditional knowledge.
Other valuable products based on traditional knowledge include
agricultural and non-wood forest products as well as handicraft.

8. Its Role in conservation of Biodiversity
• Traditional knowledge can make a significant contribution to sustainable
development. Most indigenous and local communities are situated in areas
where the vast majority of the world’s genetic resources are found.
• Many of them have cultivated and used biological diversity in a sustainable
way for thousands of years. Some of their practices have been proven to
enhance and promote biodiversity at the local level and aid in maintaining
healthy ecosystems. However, the contribution of indigenous and local
communities to the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity
goes far beyond their role as natural resource managers.
• Their skills and techniques provide valuable information to the global
community and a useful model for biodiversity policies. Furthermore, as
on-site communities with extensive knowledge of local environments,
indigenous and local communities are most directly involved with
conservation and sustainable use.

9. Role of indigenous Communities
• Indigenous peoples have been responsible stewards of their lands
and resources for thousands of years. ... For example, a significant
fraction of the world’s protected areas, the principal tool for
biodiversity conserva- tion, is found within or overlaps with
indigenous lands, territories and resources.
• There are 90 countries that have the indigenous communities.

10. Protection of Traditional Knowledge
• There are methods through which TK can be protected:
• a) Positive Protection: Positive protection means protecting TK by
way of enacting laws, rules and regulations, access and benefit
sharing provisions, royalties etc.
• Defensive Mechanism. Defensive Mechanism means steps taken to
prevent acquisition of intellectual property rights over traditional
knowledge.