The Role Of Indian Knowledge Systems In Sustainable Environmental Practices: Insights From Indigenous Traditions

Abstract

Indian indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) constitute a reservoir of centuries‑old wisdom rooted in close interactions with nature. This paper  mainly explores the actual  role of these knowledge frameworks in the process of  promoting sustainable environmental practices, drawing insights from  that of the tribal traditions across the country of  India. By inspecting Sacred Groves, shifting cultivation, conventional water management, ethnomedicinal practices, and culturally embedded ecological ethics, we highlight how IKS gives resilience, biodiversity conservation, and network empowerment. We argue that integrating IKS into mainstream environmental coverage can fortify climate variation, ecological recuperation, and cultural continuity. Challenges such as know-how erosion, institutional marginalization, and modernity pressures are analyzed, with tips for documentation, participatory governance, and go‑sectoral integration.