Integrating traditional ecological knowledge into academic research at local and global scales

Researchers have become increasingly concerned with the relation between traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and academic ecological knowledge (AEK). TEK includes complex predictive resources that often remain insufficiently reflected in ecological research, conservation practices, and ecosystem services. At the same time, knowledge integration comes with methodological and political challenges of negotiating differences between knowledge systems. In this article, we provide evidence from different scales (population, community, and ecosystems) about how TEK and AEK can be related when addressing the same phenomena. Finally, we discuss the possibilities of relating TEK and AEK through a perspective of complementarity of knowledge, taking existing differences as opportunities for dialogue.