Local+knowledge+systems

Local Knowledge Systems: The knowledge that locals(often indigenous people) have about an area. This is due to the knowledge gained over many generations spent in one area and the information that is passed down

The Inuit people who inhabit the Arctic areas have knowledge of the Polar Bears that comes from generations of experience with dealing and living with these creatures. For the Inuit the Polar Bear provides food, clothing etc but, more importantly it is part of their traditional way of life to hunt Polar Bears. This leads them to know what is normal and what is abnormal in the numbers of Polar Bears. This knowledge can provide vital information to the scientists and researchers who are studying the Polar Bears, and the decline in the population. The joining of the two branches of information(scientific and experience) can provide a greater knowledge and understanding of the Polar Bears.

However since the information given by the inuit is not based in fact, but in experience and what the inuit observe it is not always believed by the researchers.