Transforming Traditional Knowledge System of Mountains: A Threat to Sustainability

Human civilization has always been dependent on nature and its resources and when they acquired traditional knowledge and skills, they adopted agriculture as their basic necessity and a mode of endurance. Traditionally, agriculture is consider no-change sector of economy and has least evidenced change in land use pattern. Earlier people involved in agriculture, use to practice Bartar System in south Asian countries which make it self-sufficient and self-reliant. But presently in the era of globalization dominated by market economy agriculture experienced shift because of climate change.

No one can think of development in the mountains without indigenous people and the traditional knowledge they are having since ages. Indigenous people have rich heritage of traditional knowledge specifically living in the mountainous regions with respect to water, agriculture, forests, natural resources, food system, ethno-botanical medicinal and treatment knowledge, preservation of ecosystem, believe system etc. are few to count and requires urgent global attention. In view of this, UN General Assembly declared the year 2022 as the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development.

The indigenous peoples are only 5% of world’s population, but they are the custodians of more than 80 percent biodiversity because of the rich traditional knowledge they are having with them. Because of multiple causes, the traditional knowledge system of mountains is under threat and it is high time to ensure it’s sustainability before is too late. The session is expecting submissions on different sub-topics and expected to be a good platform for global intellectual discussion in view of above.