Incorporating Local and Traditional Knowledge Systems: New Insights for Ecosystem Services and Transdisciplinary Collaborations

This project brief describes a transdisciplinary research initiative supported by the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) aimed at integrating local and traditional knowledge systems into biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management across Latin America and Canada.

• The project identifies a gap in biodiversity strategy and ecosystem management at local and regional scales, noting that collaborative conservation has been obstructed by power asymmetries that have reduced the importance of local and indigenous knowledge.
• The research team implemented 'Communities of Practice Collaboratories' (CPCs), a co-learning model designed to integrate diverse knowledge and 'decentralize academia' by involving academics, campesinos, and local knowledge keepers in research design and decision-making.
• Case studies conducted in Canada, Uruguay, Chile, and Colombia analyzed policy contexts focusing on state organization, relationships with civil society, and engagement with international and regional organizations.
• A systematic literature review revealed that scholars often fail to provide clear conceptual or theoretical definitions for three key enablers or barriers to biodiversity conservation: conflict, power asymmetries, and plurality.
• To center local voices in conservation, the project invited community members from Uruguay, Chile, and Colombia to contribute to an edited book titled 'Converging Boundaries: Transdisciplinary Experiences from Biodiversity Conservation Practices in the Americas', resulting in 25 chapter proposals including poems, testimonies, and photo-narratives.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (n.d.). Incorporating Local and Traditional Knowledge Systems: New Insights for Ecosystem Services and Transdisciplinary Collaborations. https://iai.int/pdf/en/SGP-HW 072_merged.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Incorporating Local and Traditional Knowledge Systems: New Insights for Ecosystem Services and Transdisciplinary Collaborations. n.d. https://iai.int/pdf/en/SGP-HW 072_merged.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Incorporating Local and Traditional Knowledge Systems: New Insights for Ecosystem Services and Transdisciplinary Collaborations |url=https://iai.int/pdf/en/SGP-HW 072_merged.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearchndincorporating, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Incorporating Local and Traditional Knowledge Systems: New Insights for Ecosystem Services and Transdisciplinary Collaborations}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, url = {https://iai.int/pdf/en/SGP-HW 072_merged.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }