Reimagining Climate Adaptation Through Traditional Knowledge

Abstract

Climate adaptation increasingly recognizes the value of traditional ecological knowledge for strengthening resilience, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable development. However, its integration into formal climate governance remains fragmented, and limited attention has been paid to the policy design processes that shape how diverse knowledge systems are recognized and used. This article examines how traditional ecological knowledge is recognized and integrated into climate adaptation policy in India by combining insights from policy design, epistemic governance, and James Scott’s concept of administrative legibility. Using qualitative document analysis of constitutional provisions, national policies, legislative frameworks, and institutional arrangements, alongside illustrative case studies of traditional ecological practices, the study develops and applies a six-dimensional analytical framework to evaluate the recognition and institutional incorporation of TEK within climate governance. The findings indicate that although India’s policy architecture increasingly acknowledges traditional knowledge, its effective incorporation into adaptation planning is constrained by epistemic hierarchies, fragmented institutional arrangements, limited community participation, weak inter-sectoral coordination, and inadequate support for community-led adaptation. The analysis further argues that traditional ecological knowledge should be understood as a dynamic and context-specific knowledge system that complements, rather than replaces, scientific expertise. The article contributes to policy design scholarship by demonstrating how institutional assumptions about legitimate knowledge shape climate governance. It proposes an inclusive policy design framework centred on epistemic pluralism, meaningful participatory, multi-level institutional coordination, and rights-based recognition. The framework also offers an analytical basis for examining the governance of traditional knowledge in climate adaptation beyond India.