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therefore, of attending to culture as the fourth pillar of sustainability. Of course the genealogy

of terms such as traditional knowledge can be traced back further than the period of the 1990s

and 2000s. For instance, traditional knowledge is epistemologically grounded in certain

forms of anthropology, in notions such as Malinowski’s “native science” (Ståle 2008, p. 30).

However, the term traditional knowledge came to the fore in this period. Defined by the

Convention on Biodiversity’s Article 8 (j) (Convention on Biological Diversity [CBD] n.d.,

para. 1; 2012, p. 6) traditional knowledge encompasses:

[T]he knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities
around the world. Developed from experience gained over centuries and adapted
to the local culture and environment... It tends to be collectively owned and takes
the form of stories, songs, folklore, proverbs, cultural values, beliefs, rituals,
community laws, local language, and agricultural practice...Traditional knowledge
is mainly of a practical nature, particularly in such fields as agriculture, fisheries,
health, horticulture, and forestry.

In addition, traditional knowledge ‘generally refer[s] to the long standing traditions and

practices of certain regional, indigenous, or local communities’ (Trosper & Parrotta 2012, p.

6).

Traditional and local became conflated terms, used interchangeably, and in opposition

to modern and global. In the context of marine issues, the traditional and local knowledge

began to be included, albeit at a slower rate than terrestrial issues (Ruddle 2000, p. 278), in

discussions over fishery conflicts and management, including the allocation of quota. In

marine contexts, definitions often draw on wider conceptual framings of traditional and local

knowledge, and are articulated in much the same way as the definition above. Often in

fishery contexts traditional and local knowledge is understood to be based on empirical

observations, and to be practically orientated (Ruddle 2000, p. 279). It is knowledge that is

‘acquired through continuous interaction with the environment, and transmitted between

successive generations, has been identified as indigenous, traditional or local ecological

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