As it stands today with climate change and biodiversity loss on one side of the environmental scales and degradation on another, finding more sustainable solutions across nations worldwide calls for much exigency. At a time where most of this rhetoric focuses largely on technology as well as political reforms, increasing recognition now includes contributions of cultures and traditions for environmental stewardship. This unique view comes from the basis of centuries-old practices and beliefs in cultural narratives, addressing current environmental challenges. This article tries to highlight the traditional dimension of sustainability in case studies, how cultural narratives, in fact, can be strong drivers of awareness and action on the environment using statistical evidence with actionable solutions, and prove that the tradition is a powerful tool toward shaping a sustainable future.

Role of culture on environmental awareness

The influence of culture depends on the various ways through which humans and communities understand and interact with their surroundings. Most traditional knowledge systems, rituals, and practices find their basis in the realization of generations putting together these precepts about principles of sustainability. There is a large number of cultures in which indigenous people treat nature as something sacred, so deep respect has resulted in responsibility for the environment. In contrast, the prevailing Western paradigm is practiced widely and tends to treat nature as a resource to exploit.

The cultural stories also decide the character of environmental action. According to UNESCO4 , in 2020, communities that have a strong relationship with the culture of the environment demonstrate a much greater level of sustainable actions than communities that have a lower attachment. In 2019, IPBES states that in order to achieve the goals of sustainable living, indigenous and local knowledge will have to be developed and merged.

Case study 1: the Maori of New Zealand—wardens of the land

New Zealand's Maori have interesting stories of the way cultural narratives are a pathway to environmental stewardship. Kaitiakitanga is an exercise in "guardianship" or "stewardship." It roughly translates to the responsibility to protect and preserve the natural world. However, this principle is deeply rooted in the Maori cultures and has driven New Zealand policies about the environment.

In 2017, the New Zealand government declared the Whanganui River a legal person in recognition that it is an ancestor of the Maori people. According to this belief, something that can be regarded as a cultural belief system, the most innovative steps concerning river management have been taken. Now the Maori and the government co-govern the river while incorporating traditional knowledge into conservation efforts1.

This model's success reveals how cultural narratives can be merged into modern environmental planning. The policymaking will be able to create a better, all-encompassing, and sustainable solution through recognition of the intrinsic value of nature by the Maori.

Case study 2: Satoyama initiative Japan—harmonizing the tradition to modernity

There's, for example, the Satoyama Initiative—how tradition can drive sustainability. Satoyama is an older agricultural landscape used over hundreds of years for feeding rural communities in Japan. In these landscapes, characterized as a mosaic of rice paddies, forests, and grasslands, biodiversity was high.

In the context of urbanization and industrialization, the Satoyama Initiative aims to bring back these old landscapes and conserve them for future generations. Sustainable land use through a balance of human needs with ecological health are some of the goals of this initiative. In 2013, a study by the United Nations University6 revealed over 6,000 species are supported within the landscapes, and most of these are endangered species.

The Satoyama Initiative is now recognized in the international sphere as an exemplary success in sustainable development. It now offers the prospect that indigenous knowledge could be used to address today's environmental problems, such as habitat destruction and global warming.

Case study 3: Chipko movement in India—grassroots environmentalism based on culture

The Chipko Movement, born in the 1970s in India, is a very strong example of how cultural narratives are transported for environmental activism. This movement was led primarily by rural women and involved hugging trees to prevent them from being cut down by loggers. Activists appealed to ancient faiths and beliefs, holding forests sacred and pointing out the interconnectivity of all life.

Success has been achieved on the grounds that it saved the forests, and more importantly, it was an epitome of grassroots activism based on cultural values. To date, the Chipko Movement remains an inspiration of ideals inspiring the policies related to Indian environmental policies, such as the Forest Rights Act of 2006. This act extends the rights of the indigenous peoples with regard to forest resources2.

Science of tradition and sustainability

Science also supports the notion that what seems traditional leads to a more sustainable environment. For example, agroforestry is the integration of trees within agricultural landscapes; it has been proven to improve soil fertility, sequester carbon, and bring biodiversity. For example, indigenous people in the Amazon have been performing agroforestry for tens of thousands of years, but modern science is only now proving it3.

The qanats of Iran and the stepwells of India are good examples of how early civilizations could compensate for water shortages. These gravity-fed, nature-service water supply systems are less unsustainable and more environmentally friendly than most current irrigation systems, including those that consume all the groundwater4.

Challenges and limitations

While tradition is essential for sustainability, it is no panacea. Traditional practices have to be tailored to modern settings, and the cultural narratives are sometimes at variance with modern values. For example, some traditional practices may perpetuate gender inequalities or fail to respond to new environmental challenges, such as plastic pollution.

Degradation of cultural heritage with globalization and urbanization is a big challenge in this regard. As IUCN (2021) reckoned, the loss of indigenous knowledge is the predominant restriction to attaining sustainable development. Therefore, efforts should go to cultural conservation and rejuvenation.

Solutions and ways forward: unravel tradition as a source for sustainability

In order to make the best out of tradition toward sustainability, the following is indispensable:

  • Traditional knowledge and environment policies: governments and international organizations are supposed to recognize and integrate traditional knowledge in environment policies. This is through collaborating with the indigenous and local community. The New Zealand government has an example model of co-governance with the Maori. The model actually integrates traditional knowledge into frameworks of policymaking, whereby decision-making processes will be comprised of holistic and sustainable results

  • Cultural education: education curriculums could highlight the ways in which culture has fostered the development of environmental awareness. Institutions such as school, college and community can thus have a syllabus that equates application of indigenous science and modern sciences in traditional ecologies. Use of indigenous story-telling or other practices when delivering environmental education programs will develop greater cultural resourcefulness and hence influence people toward more sustainable lifestyle behaviours.

  • Support community level activities: Grassroots movements, even if these are culturally rooted like the Chipko Movement, should be supported and scaled up with funding, resources, and a platform by the governments and NGOs. For example, community-led reforestation programs that integrate traditional agroforestry practices can revitalize ecosystems while empowering local communities.

  • Revive traditional practices: revive and adapt the ancient practice into contemporary context. For instance, water management systems as used in old Iran, which were qanats, can be taken for present urban planning for reducing the dearth of water. Similarly, agroforestry practice could be encouraged against monoculture farming.

  • Cross-cultural dialogue: it can stimulate idea and best practice sharing. International conferences, workshops, and cultural exchange programs can unite communities, policymakers, and scientists in a quest for knowledge sharing and working together toward sustainability. An example is that the Satoyama Initiative has inspired other projects in their countries and demonstrates an international relevance for the old ways.

  • Protect cultural heritage: policies and programs must be the avenue through which protection and rejuvenation of cultural heritage are carried out. This will include documenting traditional knowledge, support for preservation activities, and rights for indigenous communities. For example, UNESCO5 's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage has documented a few traditional practices that are directed towards sustainability and which will increase awareness and encourage sustainable preservation of the same.

  • Tap technology: technology can be used to amplify the impact of traditional practices. Digital platforms can be used to share traditional knowledge, connect communities, and monitor environmental outcomes. For instance, mobile apps can provide farmers with information on traditional agroforestry techniques, while satellite imagery can track the impact of community-led conservation projects.

  • Promote inclusive governance: environmental governance ought to be participatory, meaning indigenous and local communities should play a role in decision-making. This is accomplished through co-management models, as one of the examples is with the Whanganui River, which confers community empowerment to their role of preservation activity. In addition to the effectiveness of the model in environmental policy, it has a good effect on social equity.

  • Research: more research has to be done on the role of culture in determining environmental behavior. Studies of an interdisciplinary nature involving anthropology, ecology, and policy science would offer insightful findings about how the old traditional practices could be adopted to suit modern conditions. For example, ecological advantages of indigenous fire management techniques in Australia have influenced current strategies in fire prevention.

  • Create awareness: public awareness should focus on the relationship of culture and sustainability. Media, art, and storytelling can educate concerns about the issue of traditional knowledge in addressing the challenges faced in the environment. For example, documentary and exhibition involvement in the conservation practices by indigenous people inspire individuals and communities.

Conclusion

Tradition is not something that comes from the old but is a living and changing force that can power sustainability. Cultural narratives, based on practices and beliefs that go back centuries, have been helpful in addressing modern environmental problems. The Maori concept of Kaitiakitanga through the Satoyama Initiative and the Chipko Movement has strengthened the influence of tradition for environmental stewardship.

Culture would play a very important role in the realization of environmental awareness in this complex world of the 21st century; therefore, it would be of utmost importance that traditional knowledge was incorporated into policies and that cultural education was promoted from the grassroots level. Times have finally come to pay homage to tradition as a totem in the context of sustainability, ensuring the stories in which we are allowed, guided, and inspired will continue protecting the planet.

References

1 Ruru, J. (2018). Listening to Papatūānuku: A call to reform water law. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 48(2-3), 215-224.
2 Guha, R. (2000). The Unquiet Woods: Ecological Change and Peasant Resistance in the Himalaya. University of California Press.
3 Altieri, M. A. (2004). Linking ecologists and traditional farmers in the search for sustainable agriculture. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2(1), 35-42.
4 UNESCO. (2014). Traditional Water Management Systems.
5 UNESCO. (2020). Culture and Sustainable Development.
6 United Nations University. (2013). Satoyama Initiative: Harmonizing Biodiversity and Human Well-Being.