The power of Indigenous knowledge
Did you know that Indigenous Peoples steward 80% of global biodiversity across 20% of the world's land? As we face an unprecedented environmental crisis, their time-tested wisdom, paired with modern science, may well hold the key to our collective future. This podcast episode transports you to the four corners of the world, from the Brazilian Amazon to Samoa, via the African bushland and Sámi territory in Northern Europe, to find out how.
We hear how traditional fire management, ancient fisheries conservation, climate-resilient architecture, and deep environmental observation are proving their value on a global scale. An immersive soundscape of authentic field recordings and community voices accompanies insights from Samoan journalist Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson, Navajo archaeologist Ora Marek-Martinez, and Nigel Crawhall, Chief of Section of Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (LINKS) at UNESCO. Across these diverse perspectives, a clear message emerges: language, culture, and environmental stewardship are deeply bound. Safeguarding them requires sustained effort to ensure Indigenous voices are heard and valued.
An episode by Anuliina Savolainen, production by Emmanuel Rudowski.
Narration by François Wibaux, with excerpts read by Tariq Talal Mosaad, Peter Bates, Victor Soo, Nolwazi Mjwara.
Media Credits: Special thanks to Pierre Costard and the Internet Archive, the Endangered Languages Archive, and the National Collections of Music, Theatre and Dance (Sweden) for providing field recordings under Creative Commons licensing.
©Image: The UNESCO Courier/ Sylvie Serprix
Further Reading:
-The UNESCO Courier’s January 2026 issue, How Indigenous knowledge drives scientific discovery.
- UNESCO and Indigenous PeoplesFrom founding the LINKS initiative in 2002 to launching the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022–2032), UNESCO continues to support Indigenous Peoples and their knowledge systems.
https://courier.unesco.org/en
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