HARNESSING HIMALAYAN WISDOM: INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS AND SUSTAINABLE ECOLOGICAL STEWARDSHIP IN INDIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/granthaalayah.v14.i2.2026.6760Keywords:
Indigenous Knowledge, Himalayan Region, Sustainability, Ecological Knowledge, Resource ManagementAbstract [English]
The Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) is a part of the most ecologically sensitive and culturally diverse treasures extending along the west to Jammu and Kashmir and eastward to Arunachal Pradesh; it is known as the Water Tower of Asia, providing all the major rivers, biodiversity, as well as home to various indigenous communities. The paper explores how Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) that communities living in the Himalayas have developed throughout the centuries could promote sustainable management, i.e., in three spheres of agriculture, water management, and biodiversity preservation. This study adopts a qualitative approach, employing selected case studies of the communities found in the Himalayan region, ethnographic spottings, and a systematic literature review of the indigenous ecological practices. The results have revealed that Himalayan IKS can be significant in sustaining agriculture, water resource-effectiveness, and preservation of biodiversity due to adaptive, low-impact, and community-oriented practices. These processes demonstrate that the environmental problem has a context-oriented solution, and this type of system provides effective alternatives to the contemporary models of development that are resource-consuming. The paper concludes that Himalayan Indigenous Knowledge Systems, however relevant, are growing under threat, due to the fast pace of modernisation, marginalisation of the policy, and climate change; integrating IKS with contemporary scientific approaches is thus necessary in enhancing adaptive capacity, the sustainability, and the long-term ecological integrity of the Himalayan ecosystem. The paper contends that the recognition and institutionalization of indigenous wisdom are essential for developing a comprehensive and resilient framework of environmental governance in India.
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