A Rethinking to Integrate Indigenous Knowledge and Natural Resources Management of Sri Lanka.

Abstract

Indigenous knowledge (IK) is the special information that is restricted to a specific culture or civilization. It is sometimes referred 10 as traditional science, folk knowledge, local knowledge, and people's knowledge. It establishes a connec­tion between each person's survival and the entirety of nature and the components that make up life. Indigenous knowledge incorporates all aspects of life-spiritu­aljty, history, cultural practices, social interactions, language, and healing. It presents real-world examples of how com.munjties interact with the environment and offers workable solutions to people's issues. Inrugenous peoples make sigruficanl contribu­tions to the management of sustainable resources. Recent studies demonstrate bow natural resource managers might enhance their conservation strategies by consid­ering the requirements and viewpoints of indigenous people. Indigenous knowl­edge and natural resource management create many environmental, social, cultural, and economic benefits for all. Indigenous people can contribute to the preservation of natural resources by safeguarrung historic structures, mjnimizing environmental degradation, and malting handicrafts that will draw tourists and sustainably improve the local economy. Sri Lanka is one of the countries that possess indigenous people whose history dates back to the fifth century BC. However, Sri Lankan local knowl­edge is limited only to very few parts of the country as in dry zone, and in parts of smal.1 groups have been identified the applicability of local knowledge 10 sustafoable