Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)

Photo courtesy of GIAHS. Rice Terraces in Southern Mountainous and Hilly Areas, China. Digital Image. Flickr. June 11, 2009. Accessed March 18, 2022. https://www.flickr.com/photos/giahs/50194970022/in/album-72157715380926263/.

Click on the logos to get to the organization's website!

World Intellectual Property Organization

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is an international agency which provides information and resources on Intellectual Property rights. This website offers tools and assistance for protecting an Indigenous culture’s Traditional Knowledge (TK). Historically, the sharing of an Indigenous peoples’ TEK has resulted in culturally insensitive application of that knowledge, or inequitable compensation for what that knowledge yields. In the case that Indigenous peoples decide to share their TEK, this resource can help ensure that they retain intellectual control of it. 

The Conservation Through Reconciliation Partnership

The Conservation through Reconciliation Partnership (CRP) is a seven-year program that began in May of 2019. One of the key goals of CRP is to: "…combine Indigenous methods of knowledge production and dissemination such as oral history, story-telling, intergenerational knowledge transmission, ceremony and dialogue with Western science methods, such as key informant interviews, biodiversity surveys, focus groups and policy analysis" (Website, “Streams of Work”).

Resources from this organization include a conservation reading-list, a simple searchable database, and CRP’s “virtual campfire series”, which are free webinars led by Elders and community members. Through these, a student can learn about and become part of the conversations about TEK and conservation. In the summer of 2022, CRP plans to launch a “solutions bundle” a type of interactive online library. 

Food and Agriculture of the United Nations: Globally Important Agriculture Heritage Systems

This FAO program designates Indigenous developed agriculture systems as living heritage sites around the world. By identifying these sites, GIAHS aims to protect, support, and bring recognition to these communities, their Traditional Knowledge, and their agricultural systems.

National Parks Service

The National Park Service is a United States government agency in charge of maintaining and managing the country’s national parks. The TEK section of their website offers an overview of what TEK is, links to webinars and articles about issues in TEK, and links to Indigenous-led conservation efforts around the world. This website is continuously updated and is a good source of current information and happenings in TEK.

UNESCO

"UNESCO's Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems programme (LINKS) promotes local and indigenous knowledge and its inclusion in global climate science and policy processes. LINKS has been influential in ensuring that local and indigenous knowledge holders and their knowledge are included in contemporary science-policy-society fora on issues such as biodiversity assessment and management (CBD, IPBES), climate change assessment and adaptation (IPCC, UNFCCC), natural disaster preparedness (ISDR) and sustainable development (Rio+20, Future Earth)." [1]

[1]"Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems." Unesco. Accessed March 12, 2022. https://en.unesco.org/links.

These webinars, and other videos about TEK, can be found through a Youtube search using the keywords listed in the sidebar labeled "Search Terms."

Conservation Conversations

• Conservations Conversations is a series of Webinars put together through a collaboration of universities and environment groups. Past webinars have focused on equity and inclusion of Indigenous Americans in the management of public lands, as well as what traditional ways of knowing means for land and resource management. These conversations offer a unique insight into the challenges tribal members face in having an equal voice in land management decisions at a regional and federal level, and the ways in which TEK can be utilized in collaborative management.

Great Lakes Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) Speaker Series

• This is a series of six sessions featuring speakers from Great Lakes Indigenous communities. Each session discusses TEK in relation to a different topic or concern in the Great Lakes region. These videos are available through the Department of American Indian Studies page on the University of Minnesota’s website. 

Reconciling Ways of Knowing: Indigenous Knowledge and Science

• Reconciling Ways of Knowing was created to help foster a relationship between Indigenous peoples, Canadians, and their governments, and to promote understanding and acceptance between traditional and scientific ways of knowing. Though this forum was initially planned as an in-person event, the arrival of the pandemic prompted a move to virtual. As a result, there are 15 recorded dialogues on topics ranging from creating ethical spaces and two-eyed seeing to decolonizing science education. These dialogues are relevant to the issues surrounding the ethical use of TEK in conjunction with western methodologies. One can access all 15 dialogues by navigating to the “Past Forums” section from the menu bar of the above website.