When project developments, environmental assessments, or other activities affect indigenous peoples, the first step must be to bridge the gap between the indigenous and western knowledge forms and culture. For projects to be sustainable or assessments to be credible, the indigenous peoples and the corporate leaders, government managers, and policy makers involved must quickly forge effective links based on trust, respect, and empowerment.

Workshops

If you wish to learn more about incorporating traditional knowledge in everything from pre-planning and environmental assessments, including cumulative effects, to implementation and monitoring, ask about KIVU's tailor-made workshops and seminars.

Consulting

The SCI-TEK strategic partnership draws together experts from both indigenous and western cultures, in the fields of traditional knowledge, western science, and technology. Using cooperative and supportive methods, we assist participants to understand how to bring western and traditional research work together, bridging the gap between culture and knowledge bases.

Guidelines for Including Indigenous Traditional Knowledge and Peoples

Alan Emery, President of KIVU Nature Inc., is the author of several books containing Guidelines on how to include indigenous peoples and their knowledge in development projects. These are available to read or download from this web site.

Publications about Traditional Knowledge, Indigenous Peoples, and Development Projects.
These books are helpful guides to participants in all stages of development projects involving indigenous peoples.

The first Environmental Assessments and Traditional Knowledge was completed in 1997 and was a cooperative effort with the World Council of Indigenous Peoples, the Department of the Environment (Canada), and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

The second work, completed in 1999, is titled CIDA Handbook for Development and Indigenous Traditional Knowledge and the French version, Manuel pour la prise en compte des connaissances traditionnelles indigènes dans la planification des projets de l'ACDI. These are specifically handbooks for officers of CIDA who routinely work on projects involving indigenous peoples, but it is also instructive to those working with development agencies such as CIDA.

The third book is a large work covering many aspects of indigenous peoples and development projects. The emphasis is on finding ways to bring indigenous peoples and their knowledge effectively and sensistively into planning and implementation. Integrating Indigenous Knowledge in Project Planning and Implementation is a new publication on this web site and was completed in February, 2000.

To print these from the web site, go to the publication from the above hot-links, click your cursor on the page you want to print, and use the print button on your browser. If you have trouble printing the pages, drop us an email and we will send them to you as an e-mail attachment.