Program on the Environment

Some of the best methods for developing sustainable solutions are the product of long-evolving information and understanding about nature. Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)— the cumulative bodies of knowledge gathered for hundreds or thousands of years by local people from interaction with their environment— is often used for sustainable resource management. Bioinspiration— the process of drawing on scientific understanding of evolved biological systems to inspire design— is frequently used to innovate resource-efficient products. While both are proven methods for achieving sustainabile outcomes, they have not been explored in tandem. Sustainable economic development, which brings together Western environmentalists with economically developing groups, could be a natural intersection of the two ideas. I aimed to answer the question “could a bioinspired approach to sustainable economic development help promote and preserve Traditional Ecological Knowledge?” by studying developing artisan economies in the Peruvian Amazon. Interning in Puerto Maldonado with the non-profit Hoja Nueva, I interviewed artisans about the knowledge and inspiration they derived from nature. Evidence from these interviews, supplemented with literature review, revealed five avenues through which TEK could be persevered by bioinspired development: 1) through materials, 2) through design 3) through generations, 4) through mutual appreciation and 5) through the marketplace. At each of these intersections, common ground between environmentalists and local groups can be found. This common ground could pave the way for sucessful sustainable development in a way that protects the knowledge and culture of indigenous groups.