"Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) describes indigenous and other traditional knowledge of local resources."
The indigenous and local knowledge and practices related to the environment and natural resources that have been handed down through generations.
"It is handed down through generations through traditional songs, stories, and beliefs."
"It is concerned with the relationship of living beings (including human) with their traditional groups and with their environment."
"TEK is used as a substitute for baseline environmental data in cases where there is little recorded scientific data, or may complement Western scientific methods of ecological management."
"The application of TEK in the field of ecological management and science is still controversial."
"Methods of acquiring and collecting knowledge... differ from those used to create and validate scientific ecological knowledge from a Western perspective."
"Non-tribal government agencies, such as the U.S. EPA, have established integration programs with some tribal governments in order to incorporate TEK in environmental plans and climate change tracking."
"There is a debate whether Indigenous populations retain an intellectual property right over traditional knowledge."
"TEK is most frequently preserved as oral tradition and as such may lack objectively confirmed documentation."
"Traditional knowledge is used to maintain resources necessary for survival."
"TEK itself, and the communities tied to the oral tradition, may become threatened in the context of rapid climate change or environmental degradation."
"TEK is proving critical for understanding the impacts of those changes within the ecosystem."
"TEK can also refer to traditional environmental knowledge which emphasizes the different components and interactions of the environment."
"TEK refers to 'a cumulative body of knowledge, belief, and practice, evolving by accumulation of TEK.'"
"...handed down through generations through traditional songs, stories, and beliefs."
"Methods of acquiring and collecting knowledge...differ from those used to create and validate scientific ecological knowledge from a Western perspective."
"Non-tribal government agencies...established integration programs with some tribal governments in order to incorporate TEK in environmental plans and climate change tracking."
"As such, the same methods that could resolve the issue of documentation to meet Western requirements may compromise the very nature of traditional knowledge."
"TEK is concerned with the relationship of living beings with their traditional groups and with their environment."
"TEK is used in natural resource management as a substitute for baseline environmental data in cases where there is little recorded scientific data, or may complement Western scientific methods of ecological management."