Traditional Mechanism and Folklore's/Myths & their role in Natural Resource Management

Abstract

This research investigates the pivotal role of traditional mechanisms, indigenous folklore, and myths in the sustainable management of natural resources in the Gilgit region of northern Pakistan. Based on ethnographic fieldwork including in-depth interviews, participant observation, and oral histories the study documents longstanding indigenous practices such as equitable water distribution through kuhls (traditional irrigation channels), regulated forest and pasture use, wildlife conservation norms, and community-based disaster preparedness in fragile high-altitude ecosystems. Folklore and myths, featuring elements like peri (fairies), mountain spirits, sacred animals (e.g., ibex as divine mounts), and shamanistic traditions (bitan), function as powerful cultural tools that embed ecological ethics, taboos, moral codes, and guidelines promoting restraint, communal equity, and harmony with nature. These narratives have historically transmitted adaptive knowledge across generations while fostering social cohesion and collective environmental stewardship. However, rapid modernization driven by Western scientific dominance, state-centric policies, climate change pressures, urbanization, youth out-migration, formal education, and market economies is causing these time-honored systems to fade swiftly. The erosion risks losing resilient strategies suited to Himalayan vulnerabilities. The article advocates for the systematic documentation and integration of this vanishing traditional ecological knowledge with contemporary conservation frameworks to promote inclusive, culturally grounded, and truly sustainable resource management.

Keywords: Indigenous knowledge, Traditional ecological knowledge, Folklore and myths, Natural resource management, Gilgit-Baltistan