Traditional Knowledge and Biodiversity Conservation: A Comprehensive Review

Traditional knowledge (TK), developed and preserved by indigenous and local communities through long-term interactions with their natural environments, represents a rich and holistic system of ecological understanding. This knowledge encompasses beliefs, practices, innovations, and cultural traditions that guide sustainable resource use and environmental stewardship. In the face of accelerating biodiversity loss driven by habitat degradation, climate change, overexploitation, and socio-economic pressures, there is increasing global recognition of the importance of traditional knowledge in biodiversity conservation. This comprehensive review examines the concept and key characteristics of traditional knowledge and explores its multifaceted role in conserving biological diversity across terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The article highlights how traditional land-use practices, sacred natural sites, ethnomedicinal systems, and community-based resource management contribute to the protection of species, habitats, and genetic diversity. Selected case studies from different regions illustrate the effectiveness of traditional knowledge in maintaining ecological balance and supporting sustainable livelihoods. The review also discusses the major challenges threatening the preservation and transmission of traditional knowledge, including globalization, cultural erosion, loss of customary lands, and inadequate legal protection. Furthermore, it emphasizes the need for ethical integration of traditional knowledge with modern scientific approaches through participatory conservation, policy support, and equitable benefit-sharing mechanisms. By synthesizing existing literature, this article underscores the relevance of traditional knowledge as a complementary and indispensable component of contemporary biodiversity conservation strategies and calls for greater recognition, protection, and integration of indigenous knowledge systems to achieve long-term environmental sustainability