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Traditional ecological knowledge is forefront and center of the heart of any community, and using that knowledge can support equitable and sustainable solutions to modern problems and economic expansion. Humans are merely the culmination of the norms and beliefs they have inherited and chosen, and this information pertains to the environment and how to interact with it is referenced as traditional ecological knowledge. As learned in class, Traditional ecological knowledge is the knowledge passed down traditionally through generations involving one's relationship and usage of the ecosystem in which the culture is surrounded by, and is held deeply by cultures. Research done exploring the effects of traditional ecological knowledge shows that it is connected to both sustainability practices and cultural values and beliefs. They work in tandem and build off of each other as the community has learned to survive harmoniously with the environment (Fienup-Riordan 2001). What work is being done currently with traditional ecological knowledge by anthropologists is the implementation of this knowledge into modern sustainability movements/projects/policies.

The first paper I found that I thought would be interesting is a dissection of Traditional Ecological Knowledge and how language matters when referring to this concept in its entirety. ​The article "Of Course, Data Can Never Fully Represent Reality": Assessing the Relationship between "Indigenous Data" and "Indigenous Knowledge," "Traditional Ecological Knowledge," and "Traditional Knowledge" by Marisa Elena Duarte, Morgan Vigil-Hayes, Sandra Littletree, and Miranda Belarde-Lewis is an examination of how there are different terms for knowledge derived from indigenous communities depending upon different disciplines. The author calls for the different disciplines to recognize the different implications of these different terms and use them accordingly when referencing them. Indigenous data and traditional knowledge were found to be used mostly in reference to the governance of indigenous people. Indigenous knowledge was a term used more in social sciences, while traditional ecological knowledge was used more in ecological and environmental fields. Each of these words has specific implications, and they work together to paint a fuller picture. And if the different fields were more informed about these differences, indigenous communities would be better represented and understood.

Anthropologist Jennifer Rasmussen wrote in her research paper Advancing Environmental Justice through the Integration of Traditional Ecological Knowledge into Environmental Policy, all about the incorporation of traditional ecological knowledge into policy in the US and how that would be more healthy not only for the landscape but also for the people living here. The environment is suffering massive biodiversity losses, and much of the conservation is on indigenous protected reserves. To attain a hint of Environmental justice, Rasmussen believes legislators and environmental activists need to work with indigenous communities to protect them from discrimination and start incorporating some of their beliefs. Indigenous communities center their beliefs around the interconnectivity between them and the planet, and therefore undertake a reciprocity-focused philosophy when engaging with it. Western imperialism has disrupted this reciprocity norm and balance that indigenous peoples had tailored to, and currently, we are in the midst of environmental destruction and undeniably, the Anthropocene (Rasmussen 2023).

In the research paper, A Hima traditional ecological knowledge perspective of the sustainability goals in AlUla's journey through time masterplan by Abdulrahman Alshami. This paper addressed the Project 2030 in Saudi Arabia, an upcoming building expansion plan that will build new urban areas. Alshami argues that the Saudi Arabian government's 2030 planning project should consider the indigenous community called Hima when making building plans. One of the objectives of this plan involves preserving local communities and sustainability despite their current lack of engagement with Hima. Expansion of urban centers needs to be sustainable to uphold the natural landscape and resources. Traditional ecological knowledge is specific to local areas. In this case, the Hima originate in the deserts of Saudi Arabia, where natural resources are scarce. Using their knowledge will benefit the project 2030 plans, since water conservation and sustainable agriculture will be challenging to address. This does mean smaller-scale productions, but the benefits of small-scale sustainability programs are that they can be more specific to the landscape, and using knowledge passed down generationally about the land would be most efficient at achieving that goal.

Work is also being done to promote the implementation of traditional ecological knowledge and sustainability into tourism. In the paper The Future of Tourism and the Anthropocene by A. Holden, T. Jamal, and F. Burini, they talk about how unsustainable tourism is and how it, as well as the Anthropocene, breeds injustice in the world. They argue that the Anthropocene has roots in the industrial revolution and capitalism, in which some places were exploited for natural resources and others weren't. This makes it so that some communities, often communities of non-Western descent, experience greater effects of the Anthropocene while other, more privileged communities don't. Tourism merely contributes to the injustice as tourism for entertainment had its roots and still mainly is a privileged Western activity. Not only does tourism exploit the places and cultures that tourists travel to, but it also brings up the injustice within capitalism itself, as only the wealthy can afford to travel for luxury, but that is besides the point. In the modern-day Anthropocene, it is essential that we move towards a more sustainable tourist culture, which is why this paper raises the need for traditional ecological knowledge and eco-tourism. Tourism centered around the culture of a place, informed by traditional ecological knowledge, will help preserve the culture and environment. It would also reshape the consumerist culture that is so entwined with tourism.

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One of my family’s highest values is travel. Ever since I was little, I had gone on multiple trips a year. Even if we didn't have the funds to support this hobby, my parents would pull from savings to give my brother and me the privilege to see and experience different parts of the world. I have put much thought into my own values, and while there are many ways in which I differ from my family, this value is one that I proudly accept. However, I have recognized that the kind of travel my parents do is not the kind of travel I want to pursue later on in life, and with that comes my lifestyle change. As I plan to travel when I am older, I want to do it sustainably and practice a more eco-tourism-based approach, more similar to deep hanging out than what is commonly thought of when picturing tourism. The problematic history and nature of tourism as we know it today are rich with injustice and exploitation, and I have several complaints with the industry as a whole. For starters, tourism is unsustainable. To support this travel, gas is needed which is contributing to carbon emissions and climate change. It also relies on environmental destruction, as natural resources have to be attained, and land for resorts and hotels must be cleared for construction, which consumes even more natural resources. What is worse in this destruction is that it is not for the betterment of the locals or the community in which this destruction is taking place, but instead it benefits the wealthy foreigner who wants to use the local culture as a mode of entertainment (Holden, Jamal, Burini 2022). To view the local culture as if it were a movie, and impose their own Western ideals on the native culture. Tourism is also tailored to what is pretty, meaning it brings attention to picturesque parts of a culture while villainizing or neglecting other parts of it simultaneously. This can lead to parts of cultures being forgotten or let go because they aren't as profitable or as aesthetically pleasing (Forsyth and Walker 2008). Due to exploitations like these, I want to travel more sustainably and more culturally appropriately. Instead of staying at big hotels, I would want to stay in more local locations and truly embrace the culture for what it is, rather than glamorizing it. Shopping locally and educating myself about the history of the place and people I am visiting is also important to highlight. Understanding the history of a group is essential to true engagement and appreciation of a given culture. Doing these things won't have the most extreme of outcomes in the distant future. Even if I choose not to travel by plane, it is not going to stop the carbon emissions from other tourists. Despite this, I would still argue there is a change being made. It is an internal change in how I view the world, and it would enrich me in the perspectives of diverse cultures from around the world. Shopping locally and engaging in a type of deep hanging out would also support the community in ways modern tourism often doesn't, and because of that could help those communities.

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Alshami, Abdulrahman, Martin Bryant, and Andrew Toland. 2025. “A Hima Traditional Ecological Knowledge Perspective of the Sustainability Goals in AlUla’s Journey through Time Masterplan.” Urban Studies (Sage Publications, Ltd.) 62 (3): 560–80. https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980241301656.

Checker, Melissa. 2021. “Environmental Justice and Gentrification in New York City.” Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development 63 (2): 16–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/00139157.2021.1871293.

Duarte, Marisa Elena, Morgan Vigil-Hayes, Sandra Littletree, and Miranda Belarde-Lewis. 2019. “‘Of Course, Data Can Never Fully Represent Reality’: Assessing the Relationship between ‘Indigenous Data’ and ‘Indigenous Knowledge,’ ‘Traditional Ecological Knowledge,’ and ‘Traditional Knowledge.’” Human Biology 91 (3): 163–78. https://doi.org/10.13110/humanbiology.91.3.03.

Forsyth, Tim, and Andrew Walker. 2008. Forest Guardians, Forest Destroyers: The Politics of Environmental Knowledge in Northern Thailand. Seattle: University of Washington Press.

Holden, A., T. Jamal, and F. Burini. 2022. “The Future of Tourism in the Anthropocene.” Annual Review of Environment & Resources 47 (1): 423–47. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-120920-092529.

Lansing, J. Stephen, and André Singer. 1988. The Goddess and the Computer. Watertown, MA: Documentary Educational Resources.

Rasmussen, Jennifer B. 2023. “Advancing Environmental Justice through the Integration of Traditional Ecological Knowledge into Environmental Policy.” Challenges (20781547) 14 (1): 6. https://doi.org/10.3390/challe14010006.

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This class has taught me a lot about how to think about different communities in relation to ecological and industrial "development."

The most important lesson is that when looking to change an aspect of a community, it is imperative to emphasize the importance of traditional ecological knowledge and communicate and work with the people native to that community/culture to develop strategies they believe in and agree with.

While a majority of the works we read in class pertained to this theme and contributed to this being my overarching understanding of the importance of this class in its entirety, I do believe that there are a few specific readings that stand out as truly emphasizing the key lesson I derived from class content. The three articles that I found to have the most influence on creating my lesson was The Goddess and the Computer film, the Gentrification of New York City article by Melissa Checker, and Chapter 1 of Forest Guardians Forest Destroyers by Forsyth and Walker. The Goddess and the Computer follows the anthropologist Steve Lansing as he explores the importance of traditional agriculture in Bali. The film highlights the importance of understanding both the cultural practices and the practical practices that sustain a community. Western agricultural practices with more modern techniques were implemented in Bali, they failed to recognize some of the cultural practices that maintained other factors of their agriculture, keeping homeostasis. Because of this, homeostasis was not upheld farmers experienced problems they had never experienced before (Lansing, Singer, 1988). The Gentrification of New York article talks about how rich people greenwash poor urban neighborhoods, raising the cost of living, which efficiently pushes out the community that was living there. This is done by the richer, more privileged people deciding what needs to be improved in other people's communities and then pushing that onto others, which harms the community they are supposedly trying to help. This disregards the needs and knowledge the locals have that, if worked with, would be able to make structural changes that uplift communities rather than breed exclusivity and inequality. In Chapter 1 of Forest Guardians, Forest Destroyers, it was discussed how climate advocacy initiatives didn't look at the culture and politics of the community they were being implemented in Thailand. Forsyth and Walker suggest that there is no one solution to climate struggles, and that they must be adaptive to the individual communities they are in, or else risk elitism and simplicity.