IAS_6.6.1.5_801

It has long been recognized that Indigenous Peoples and local communities hold unique knowledge on biodiversity. They often inhabit remote, biodiverse landscapes from which they derive diverse resources. Their knowledge may not be documented but may be important to understand ecosystem processes and resource management. Indigenous and local knowledge has been recognized and accepted as relevant to the development and good quality of life of Indigenous Peoples (Sillitoe & Marzano, 2009; Williams & Hardison, 2013). Nevertheless, Indigenous Peoples and local communities have often been excluded from decision-making and would wish to take more control over their cultural and intellectual knowledge (Bolhassan et al., 2014). Historically the power imbalance between the holders and potential users of traditional knowledge have meant that the benefits derived from this knowledge have not been shared equally. Mistrust and misunderstanding has often developed in both directions between academic science and Indigenous Peoples and local communities (Bohensky & Maru, 2011; Mulligan & Stoett, 2000).
Internationally, the need to ensure equitable distribution of the benefits of knowledge and genetic resources has been recognized in the Nagoya Protocol (Buck & Hamilton, 2011). Though the Nagoya Protocol does improve the situation, it is an intergovernmental agreement, and its implementation varies with jurisdiction and does not necessarily include the needs, aspirations and wishes of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Furthermore, it is far from clear how knowledge, resources and data on invasive alien species themselves should be treated under the Nagoya Protocol because the Protocol is concerned with the benefits of biodiversity and invasive alien species are largely detrimental. The origin of the knowledge and genetic resources can be obscure, and species used by Indigenous Peoples and local communities traditionally are often alien species (e.g., de Almeida et al., 2010). In the case of biological control agents best practices have been drawn up for access and benefit sharing (Mason et al., 2018; D. Smith et al., 2018). However, little consideration of the interests of Indigenous Peoples and local communities is given in these best practices.
Knowledge of invasive alien species by Indigenous Peoples and local communities is vital for not only the community itself, but also for policymakers and practitioners for the purpose of implementing control and management options (Williams & Hardison, 2013). An analysis of the sources of invasive alien species knowledge showed that the majority of Indigenous Peoples and local communities obtain their knowledge from self-learning, observation and experimentation. Another large group mentioned a mix of both contemporary and traditional knowledge sources. A smaller percentage relied on scientific knowledge, showing that Indigenous and local knowledge plays a big role. This also shows how important it is to incorporate both Indigenous and local knowledge and contemporary science while informing policies (Bolhassan et al., 2014).