Incorporating scientific and traditional ecological knowledge into social impact assessment

Abstract

Large-scale development projects significantly impact the biocultural heritage of indigenous and tribal peoples. However, conventional Social Impact Assessment (SIA) predominantly relies on Scientific Ecological Knowledge (SEK), often overlooking Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), creating an “epistemological divide”. This paper addresses this limitation by proposing an approach anchored in two core analytical methods—Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF) and Analytic Network Process (ANP)—supported by three conceptual tools—Plausible Reasoning, Hermeneutical Phenomenology, and Actor Network Theory (ANT). The approach is illustrated through an ex-post SIA conducted within the context of environmental litigation involving the construction of an airport on the ancestral lands of the Bosques de San Elías-Repechique Community of the Rarámuri people in northern Mexico. By addressing the epistemological divide, our method provides a more accurate and comprehensive assessment of the impacts of planned interventions on biocultural heritage, contributing to more effective environmental justice outcomes.