Indigenous and local knowledge in exploring the desirable futures of the mangrove ecosystem sustainability in the Mono Transboundary Biosphere Reserve, West Africa.

This project investigates how Indigenous and Local Knowledge (ILK) can contribute to desirable futures for mangrove ecosystem sustainability in the Mono Transboundary Biosphere Reserve (MTBR), West Africa. It documents ILK practices, their associated benefits and threats, and explores their transformative potential for co-developing qualitative and imaginative visions and locally grounded transformation pathways towards desirable and sustainable mangrove futures in the MTBR.

The key impacts of this research can be framed around knowledge, practice, governance, conservation, and transformative change.

• Recognition and valorization of Indigenous and Local Knowledge (ILK): Strengthens recognition of local knowledge, practices, values, and institutions as important resources for mangrove conservation and sustainability.
• Locally grounded visions of desirable futures: Provides qualitative and imaginative desirable future visions that reflect the aspirations, values, and worldviews of communities and other stakeholders in the MTBR.
• Transformation pathways for mangrove sustainability: Identifies practical transformation pathways for moving from current challenges towards desirable futures.
• More inclusive conservation governance: Highlights the importance of involving Indigenous peoples and local communities, women, youth, Indigenous authorities, and other stakeholders in shaping mangrove futures and decision-making.
• Bridging knowledge systems: Demonstrates how ILK can complement scientific knowledge and contribute to more context-sensitive approaches to biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management.
• Policy and management relevance: Generates evidence that can inform mangrove conservation policies, participatory management strategies, restoration initiatives, and biodiversity governance within the MTBR and potentially other West African coastal landscapes.
• Methodological innovation: Demonstrates the value of combining participatory visioning approaches such as the Nature Futures Framework, Three Horizons Framework, and X-curve to translate diverse values and knowledge systems into transformation pathways.
• Contribution to transformative change: Moves beyond documenting ILK by demonstrating its potential to shape collective action and contribute to long-term social-ecological transformations towards sustainable mangrove futures.