Advancing Indigenous and local knowledge for biodiversity policy and action in Malawi, Namibia, and Trinidad and Tobago

This article, developed and led by UNESCO, highlights the organization’s dedicated efforts to advance Indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) in biodiversity policy and action across Malawi, Namibia and Trinidad and Tobago. While the initiative itself is fully implemented under UNESCO’s leadership, it unfolds in countries where BES-Net is also actively supporting national biodiversity efforts through complementary workstreams.

As a consortium partner of BES-Net, UNESCO, through its Indigenous and Local Knowledge Support Unit, (UNESCO-LINKS), plays a key role by facilitating the inclusion of Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ knowledge across BES-Net processes. In these same countries, BES-Net contributed through national ecosystem assessments (NEAs), multistakeholder Trialogues and catalytic support via the BES Solution Fund: supporting Namibia’s actions on invasive alien species and community-based biodiversity management, advancing pollinator conservation and citizen science in Trinidad and Tobago and accompanying Malawi’s ongoing NEA process and transition toward future BES Solution Fund support. Together, these parallel and intersecting efforts illustrate how global leadership on ILK and country-level implementation can reinforce one another to strengthen inclusive, evidence-based biodiversity governance.

Learn more about the BES Solution Fund impact in Namibia (implementation ongoing)

Learn more about the BES Solution Fund impact in Trinidad and Tobago (implementation finalized in 2024)

Learn more about Malawi's national ecosystem assessment process