Sustainable development has today become a commonly used term, yet it describes a concept that is still being considered by different kinds of societies, each in a manner of their choosing. This has happened because while historically how societies grew to be 'developed' was a process that took a variety of pathways, today the prescribed pathway to the 'modern' scarcely changes from one country to another. Hence culturally what these societies have considered as being 'sustainable' behaviour - each according to its ecological context - is being replaced by a prescribed template in which interpretations are discouraged. Such a regime of prescription has led only to the obscuring of the many different kinds of needs felt by communities that desire a 'development' that makes cultural sense, but also of the kinds of knowledge which will allow that 'development' to be sustainable.

In domains such as traditional medicine, forestry, the conservation of biodiversity, the protection of wetlands, it is practitioners of intangible cultural heritage and bearers of traditional knowledge, together with the communities to which they belong, who observe and interpret phenomena at scales much finer than formal scientists are familiar with. Besides, they possess the ability to draw upon considerable temporal depth in their observations. For the scientific world, such observations are invaluable contributions that advance our knowledge about climate change. For the local world, indigenous knowledge and cultural practices are the means with which the effects of climate change are negotiated so that livelihoods are maintained, ritual and cultivation continue, and survival remains meaningful.

This media entry was a contribution to the special session „Fostering a cultural response to eco-systemic change“ at the 5th International Degrowth Conference in Budapest in 2016.