The catalysis of environmental preservation is not exclusive to modern societies. This approach has also been adopted by local communities that have lived in harmony with nature. Unlike modern societies, local communities view the environment as their biological resource, treating nature as a source to fulfill daily needs. Talaat et al. (2012) state that local communities possess a profound understanding of their ecosystems, including the characteristics of plants, animals, and centuries-old environmental management techniques. This knowledge not only forms part of their cultural identity but also plays a vital role in sustaining ecosystems, such as utilizing local plants for medicine and managing natural resources sustainably. This demonstrates that local communities inherently have traditional knowledge about how to act responsibly to protect the environment, driven by their awareness of life’s necessities. To understand the role of local communities more deeply, it is important to examine how their traditional knowledge serves as the core of environmental preservation.

Traditional knowledge comprises long-standing traditions and practices of local communities. It includes aspects of knowledge, skills, practices, and representations accumulated, maintained, and developed by local communities through their long history of interaction with the natural environment. Traditional knowledge is an asset that focuses on the application of knowledge, such as traditional technical skills or ecological and scientific understanding. It is transmitted orally across generations, developed through experience, and adapted to local culture and environment. This collective knowledge encompasses various forms such as songs, folklore, proverbs, values, beliefs, rituals, community laws, local languages, agricultural practices, and the development of plant and animal species (Talaat et al., 2012).

The practical nature of traditional knowledge has been widely applied in agriculture, fisheries, health, horticulture, and forestry. This indicates that traditional knowledge can act as a catalyst for preserving traditions while maintaining the environment by supporting ecologically sustainable approaches through locally experienced strategies. The close relationship between communities and their environment creates a moral value system for protecting nature, making it a relevant model for sustainability. Various applications of traditional knowledge are supported by key elements that make them relevant in addressing environmental challenges. Ford et al. (2020) highlight several important elements of the role of local community knowledge as a catalyst:

1. Traditional Knowledge as a Repository of Experience

   Traditional knowledge reflects ecological, botanical, climatological, and spiritual understanding preserved through generations. It enables indigenous communities to detect, understand, and predict environmental changes. For example, indigenous communities use traditional seasonal calendars based on bioclimatic indicators to manage land use, harvest, and mobility.

2. Flexibility in Diversity Management Strategies

   Cultural and traditional practices support flexible and diverse resource management, such as resource rotation, harvest timing restrictions, and species protection. Traditional approaches to farming or livestock management often embody strategies to reduce environmental damage.

3. Conservation through Traditional Practices

   Indigenous knowledge often supports conservation efforts and mitigates environmental issues. For instance, traditional forest management systems, such as slash-and-burn practices, result in more efficient forests, lower-intensity land use, and higher biodiversity compared to non-traditional methods.

4. Transforming Traditional Knowledge for Environmental Change

   Local communities must continually update their knowledge to adapt to new realities, including integrating modern technology or new practices.

5. Erosion of Traditional Knowledge

   Rapid environmental changes, colonization, and modernization erode local communities’ ability to detect, understand, and manage environmental changes, although efforts to revive knowledge systems exist in some regions.

Environmental preservation is an integral part of traditional community culture. Traditional environmental practices, such as sustainable agriculture and mining, are often discussed through digital media. Local community activities shared via digital media form part of digital communication. Digital communication plays a catalytic role in supporting the preservation of local traditions and knowledge. Social media, digital applications, and video-sharing platforms enable local communities to document and disseminate traditional knowledge globally. Through these platforms, local communities share information about traditional methods to maintain environmental sustainability, strengthening environmental preservation narratives in various media forms.

In essence, these practices demonstrate efforts to build environmental awareness aligned with customs. Concerns over environmental degradation also resonate within communities. Botangen et al. (2017) note that conservation activities such as tree planting and environmentally harmful mining practices are frequently highlighted in the media. This not only raises awareness among community members but also fosters active discussions on the importance of protecting natural resources and biodiversity. By leveraging digital media, local communities share knowledge, preserve traditions, and voice environmental concerns while seeking collective solutions. Sharing knowledge via digital media is a key element in cultural preservation strategies.

In the context of digital technology, this approach extends further to documenting and distributing traditional knowledge more broadly. Efforts to preserve local community knowledge and practices that support environmental sustainability increasingly rely on digital media technologies. Many local communities possess invaluable traditional knowledge about managing local ecosystems, sustainable agriculture, and biodiversity conservation. This knowledge has proven effective in addressing contemporary environmental challenges, such as climate change mitigation and endangered species preservation. Digital media technologies are employed to document, archive, and digitize traditional knowledge. Tools such as mobile applications, online platforms, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR) technologies offer opportunities to expand access to this knowledge and enhance interactive learning (Ajani et al., 2024).

Social media also enables local communities to voice environmental issues more widely, creating networks of solidarity and drawing public attention to conservation practices. Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies allow for more immersive interactive experiences of indigenous knowledge, such as simulating how local communities use seasonal farming calendars.

One example of traditional language preservation is the Mapuche organization in Chile, which uses digital media to conserve and teach native languages like Mapudungun. Local communities disseminate knowledge about traditions and cultural values closely tied to environmental preservation. These communities produce digital content that conveys the importance of maintaining harmony between humans and the environment as a core cultural philosophy. Additionally, creating documentaries or short videos showcasing traditional rituals and the spiritual relationship between indigenous people and nature is used to counteract the exploitation of natural resources (Salma, 2019).

In conclusion, digital communication has become a tool not only for disseminating traditional knowledge but also for empowering local communities to maintain their cultural identity while addressing environmental challenges. Collaborative efforts between modern technology and traditional customs lay a strong foundation for sustainable solutions.

-Rosmalia Ahmad & Diana Anggraeni

References

Ajani, Y. A., Oladokun, B. D., Olarongbe, S. A., Amaechi, M. N., Rabiu, N., & Bashorun, M. T. (2024). Revitalizing Indigenous Knowledge Systems via Digital Media Technologies for Sustainability of Indigenous Languages. De Gruyter. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1515/pdtc-2023-0051

Botangen, K. A., Vodanovich, S., & Yu, J. (2017). Preservation of Indigenous Culture among Indigenous Migrants through Social Media: the Igorot Peoples. Proceedings of the 50th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.

Ford, J. D., King, N., Galappaththi, E. K., Pearce, T., McDowell, G., & Harper, S. L. (2020). The Resilience of Indigenous Peoples to Environmental Change. One Earth, 2(6), 532–543. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2020.05.014

Salma, A. N. (2019). Defining Digital Literacy in the Age of Computational Propaganda and Hate Spin Politics. KnE Social Sciences, 323–338. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v3i20.4945

Talaat, W. I. A. W., Tahir, N. M., & Husain, M. L. (2012). Traditional Knowledge on Genetic Resources: Safeguarding the Cultural Sustenance of Indigenous Communities. Asian Social Science, 8(7). https://doi.org/doi:10.5539/ass.v8n7p184