Indigenous traditional knowledge for sustainable development: the biodiversity convention and plant treaty regimes

Abstract

Sustainable development requires establishing a functional balance between socioeconomic development and environmental protection, with traditional knowledge (TK) held by indigenous and local communities (ILCs), including traditional practices of conservation and sustainable use of natural resources, playing an integral role in achieving global sustainable development goals. This paper looks at the inclusion of TK in two principle regimes: the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA). It explains TK within this context, summarizes key elements of applicable legal frameworks, and analyzes certain legal measures from domestic implementation of the treaties. It suggests that traditional knowledge of ILCs provides a channel for sustainable development which has been nurtured for centuries and should be more effectively integrated into decision-making procedures through greater protections for TK and local empowerment of ILCs for governance and equitable benefit sharing.