A Novel Framework for Integrating Traditional Ecological Knowledge into Formal Environmental Management Systems in Nigeria

This dissertation develops an original framework for integrating traditional ecological knowledge into formal environmental management systems in Nigeria, making theoretical and methodological contributions to the growing international debate on knowledge pluralism in environmental governance. Nigeria's diverse cultural landscape encompasses hundreds of ethnic groups with distinct bodies of traditional ecological knowledge accumulated through generations of direct ecosystem management experience, including knowledge of plant ecology, seasonal patterns, sustainable harvesting techniques, and ecosystem restoration practices. This knowledge is largely absent from formal environmental management systems, which are designed around scientific monitoring and regulatory enforcement as the primary knowledge inputs. The theoretical contribution is a Knowledge Integration Architecture for Environmental Management that identifies the types, formats, and governance conditions under which traditional ecological knowledge can be meaningfully incorporated into formal management systems without reducing it to a subordinate or purely decorative function. The framework is developed through three research phases: a systematic documentation and validation study of traditional ecological knowledge in four contrasting ecological zones covering mangrove, rainforest, savanna, and Sahel environments, involving structured knowledge elicitation interviews with 120 traditional knowledge holders across Bayelsa, Edo, Kwara, and Borno States; a governance design study examining institutional mechanisms for legitimate knowledge integration at site-specific and landscape scales; and a pilot implementation study testing framework components at three environmental management sites. Original contributions include the documentation methodology, the governance architecture design, and the pilot implementation findings that provide the first empirical evidence for the framework's feasibility in the Nigerian context. Keywords: traditional ecological knowledge, knowledge integration, environmental management, Nigeria, knowledge pluralism.