Working with indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) is vital for
inclusive assessments of nature and nature’s linkages with
people. Indigenous peoples’ concepts about what constitutes
sustainability, for example, differ markedly from dominant
sustainability discourses. The Intergovernmental Platform on
Biodiversity and Ecosystems Services (IPBES) is promoting
dialogue across different knowledge systems globally. In 2017,
member states of IPBES adopted an ILK Approach including:
procedures for assessments of nature and nature’s linkages
with people; a participatory mechanism; and institutional
arrangements for including indigenous peoples and local
communities. We present this Approach and analyse how it
supports ILK in IPBES assessments through: respecting rights;
supporting care and mutuality; strengthening communities and
their knowledge systems; and supporting knowledge
exchange. Customary institutions that ensure the integrity of
ILK, effective empowering dialogues, and shared governance
are among critical capacities that enable inclusion of diverse
conceptualizations of sustainability in assessments.
