GLOBAL RESEARCH TRENDS IN INDIGENOUS TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE OF TRIBAL COMMUNITIES: A COMBINED BIBLIOMETRIC AND SYSTEMATIC REVIEW (2001–2025)

Abstract

Indigenous Traditional Knowledge (ITK) represents a unique, cumulative repository of ecological intelligence, cultural identity, and adaptive practices deeply rooted in localized historical experiences. Whereas, rapid modernization, environmental degradation, and inadequate legal frameworks threaten to erode this vital heritage and emphasize the need and importance of documentation. This study aims to systematically synthesize the fragmented landscape of ITK literature, evaluating its diverse applications in ethnobotany, sustainable agriculture, and climate resilience, while identifying critical contemporary threats to its preservation. A comprehensive systematic literature review and meta-analysis were coupled with a bibliometric analysis to objectively map the 25-year evolutionary trajectory of tribal traditional knowledge from 2001 to 2025. Data were harvested from mainstream academic databases to track publication dynamics, institutional collaborations, keyword clusters, and co-occurrence networks. The synthesis reveals that ITK operates as a highly specialized socio-ecological tool. Traditional ecological knowledge offers affordable primary healthcare remedies; providing templates for modern drug discovery; facilitates ways to improve soil health, seed preservation, and water conservation. This study underscores the urgent necessity of moving away from destructive resource exploitation toward a model of constructive dependence. It advocates for a hybrid framework that blends indigenous empirical wisdom with modern nutritional and conventional sciences. Ultimately, the findings provide a strategic roadmap for policymakers to implement inclusive, equitable sustainability policies that safeguard indigenous intellectual property rights, enhance food security, and promote long-term global biodiversity conservation.