Indigenous and Local Water Knowledge, Values and Practices (eBook)

With increasing emphasis on the inclusion of indigenous and local knowledge into natural resource governance and conservation by international agencies like the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the proposed book will significantly contribute to the existing knowledge base and demonstrate the importance of mainstreaming indigenous water knowledge and practices into water governance and decision making. The UN SDGs, recognizing the significance of indigenous knowledge systems, emphasized its inclusion in most aspects and principles of SDGs. Apart from direct links with SDGs like zero hunger (SDG 2), no poverty (SDG 1), and climate action (SDG 13), indigenous and local knowledge system is considered to be directly connected to clean water and sanitation (SDG 6). The book will be useful to researchers and students in the field of indigenous knowledge and education, water governance, community-level planning, and water sustainability. The book can be referred to for postgraduate courses and beyond, as well as policymakers, conservationists, non-governmental organizations, development practitioners, and local government officials. 

Dr. Mrittika Basu is an assistant professor at the Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University. She has a PhD in Global Environmental Studies from Kyoto University, Japan. She undertakes intensive field-based research in rural areas as well as urban areas in developing countries. She specializes in evidence-based policy-making research on water resource management. Her research interests include water security, water resource management, water conservation behavior, ecosystem services and human well-being. Dr. Basu has authored/ co-authored more than 40 scientific papers in peer-reviewed international journals.  

Dr. Rajarshi Dasgupta is a senior policy researcher at the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES). His research interests are environmental scenario planning, spatial quantification of ecosystem services, indigenous and local knowledge systems, and community-based conservation. He served as Lead Author (LA) for the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Asia-Pacific Regional Assessment Report as well as IPBES assessment on Sustainable Use of Wild Species (2018-22). Dr. Dasgupta authored/co-authored more than 60 peer-reviewed papers in reputed international journals on the topic related to the mapping and monitoring of ecosystem services, landscape conservation, Ecosystem and natural resource management. 

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This book provides a knowledge base of the existing indigenous and local water knowledge, values, and practices, and how this water knowledge can be mainstreamed into the decision-making process. The book not only demonstrates the perks of using indigenous knowledge but also illustrates the barriers and gaps that should be considered while planning for mainstreaming traditional knowledge and values at a local scale. The chapters incorporate case studies from various parts of the world demonstrating how indigenous, and religious and cultural values of water have translated into water use and conservation behavior among indigenous people ensuring resource sustainability over a long period of time. There has been global attention towards combining indigenous and local knowledge with new information and innovation to attain future water security. In this regard, this book is timely, relevant, and significant as it is the first attempt, as per the best of our knowledge, to publish a book that solely addresses indigenous and local knowledge, values, and practices regarding water management, quality monitoring, use, and conservation. With increasing emphasis on the inclusion of indigenous and local knowledge into natural resource governance and conservation by international agencies like the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the proposed book will significantly contribute to the existing knowledge base and demonstrate the importance of mainstreaming indigenous water knowledge and practices into water governance and decision making. The UN SDGs, recognizing the significance of indigenous knowledge systems, emphasized its inclusion in most aspects and principles of SDGs. Apart from direct links with SDGs like zero hunger (SDG 2), no poverty (SDG 1), and climate action (SDG 13), indigenous and local knowledge system is considered to be directly connected to clean water and sanitation (SDG 6). The book will be useful to researchers and students in the field of indigenous knowledge and education, water governance, community-level planning, and water sustainability. The book can be referred to for postgraduate courses and beyond, as well as policymakers, conservationists, non-governmental organizations, development practitioners, and local government officials.