This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Climate change and biodiversity loss require us to base our decisions on the best possible knowledge. Yet a new study conducted by Dr.
Roxana Roos at the University of Bergen shows that valuable knowledge about local nature and climate conditions often does not become part of the decision-making basis. The study is published in the journal Environmental Science & Policy. The study is based on interviews with residents and planners in Northern Norway and examines how local, professional and scientific knowledge intersect in municipal planning processes.
The problem is not necessarily that local knowledge is lacking. The challenge is that society does not always manage to recognize, value and combine different forms of knowledge. Imagine a municipality planning a new development area.
Experts and other professionals provide climate data, nature maps and other relevant knowledge. At the same time, local residents know where the stream overflows its banks after heavy rain, which areas dry out in summer and where important nature values have changed over time. The example illustrates a fundamental challenge: When municipalities plan new residential areas, cabin areas or other land-use interventions, it is not enough to base decisions on maps, models, expert reports and public databases.
People who have used the area over a long period may have knowledge about flood paths, erosion, vegetation changes or natural values that is not found in existing documentation. Such observations are often held by those who use nature in their work or leisure time—fishermen, farmers, mountain guides, berry pickers, hunters and reindeer-herding Sami. Yet this knowledge often does not become part of the decision-making basis.
When important knowledge does not come to light, decisions on land use, climate adaptation and nature management can become less accurate and robust than they could have been. Through 75 interviews in Northern Norway, the study documents that local people hold knowledge that can be directly relevant to municipal planning and environmentally sustainable development. This is knowledge about local conditions over time, but it rarely finds a place in municipal land-use planning processes.
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