Empowering Energy Law with Indigenous Ecological Knowledge: A Legal Framework for Sustainable Development
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55662/APLPR.2026.1201Keywords:
Energy Law, South Asia, Indigenous Ecological Knowledge, Sustainable Development, Legal FrameworkAbstract
This paper explores the integration of Indigenous Ecological Knowledge (IEK) into legal structures for renewable energy, with specific focus on India and South Asia. The research examines current statutes, judicial decisions and policy frameworks that either assist or hinder the recognition of traditional knowledge systems in energy governance. This paper presents a comparative legal analysis and case studies from India, Nepal and Bangladesh to demonstrate that, while there has been some progress in the recognition of indigenous rights, there are considerable gaps in translating this recognition into meaningful legal protection. This paper suggests a comprehensive legal framework that incorporates IEK as an inherent component of sustainable energy development, arguing that this incorporation would result in improved environmental justice, greater climate resilience and better sustainable resource management. Proposed reforms include constitutional amendments, statutory provisions recognizing rights of nature, procedural safeguards in environmental impact assessments and benefit-sharing mechanisms acknowledging the contributions of indigenous communities to ecological conservation.
External References to this Article
Loading reference data...
Readership Data
Refreshing Cached Analytics Data
The cached analytics data has become stale and journal.thelawbrigade.com is making a fresh request to fetch the latest data from Google Analytics. This may take 20-30 seconds depending on the server response time from Google Analytics. Please do not close the browser during this time. We appreciate your patience.
References
Agrawal, A. (2020). Indigenous knowledge and scientific knowledge: The politics of recognition. South Asian Journal of Environmental Law, 18(2), 112-136.
Bajpai, S., & Upreti, B. R. (2021). Renewable energy governance in federal Nepal: Challenges and opportunities. Energy Policy, 156, 112423.
Berkes, F. (2018). Sacred ecology (4th ed.). Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315114644
Bhutia, S. (2022). Traditional ecological knowledge and climate adaptation in Eastern Himalayas. Environmental Conservation, 49(1), 35-44.
Choksi, A., & Dyer, C. (2020). Pastoralism, mobility, and conservation: Shifting practices and perceptions of the Kachchh pastoralists. Journal of Rural Studies, 73, 83-92.
Coombe, R. J. (2017). Cultural agencies: The legal construction of community subjects and their properties. In J. A. Anderson & E. Geismar (Eds.), The Routledge companion to cultural property (pp. 179-205). Routledge.
de Sousa Santos, B. (2018). The end of the cognitive empire: The coming of age of epistemologies of the South. Duke University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1215/9781478002000
Doyle, C. (2022). Indigenous peoples' rights and renewable energy projects: Towards a model of free, prior and informed consent. International Journal on Minority and Group Rights, 29(2), 223-248.
Fraser, N. (2021). Cannibal capitalism: How our system is devouring democracy, care, and the planet—And what we can do about it. Verso Books.
Gadgil, M., & Guha, R. (2022). This fissured land: An ecological history of India (Revised ed.). Oxford University Press.
Ghosh, S. (2021). Indigenous peoples and renewable energy in India: Exclusion or inclusion? Energy Research & Social Science, 72, 101869.
Government of India. (2002). The Biological Diversity Act. Ministry of Law and Justice.
Government of India. (2003). The Electricity Act. Ministry of Law and Justice.
Government of India. (2006). The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act. Ministry of Law and Justice.
Government of India. (2008). National Action Plan on Climate Change. Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change.
Government of India. (2022). Statistical profile of Scheduled Tribes in India. Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
Government of Nepal. (2015). Constitution of Nepal. Law Commission of Nepal.
Government of Nepal. (2017). Local Government Operation Act. Law Commission of Nepal.
Gupta, A. K. (2023). Bridging knowledge systems: Indigenous innovations for sustainability. Current Science, 124(4), 449-460.
Haider, L. J. (2021). Indigenous ecological knowledge and renewable energy: A critical review. Energy Research & Social Science, 77, 102097. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2021.102097
Iyer, V. R. (2019). Public interest environmental litigation in India: Achievements and challenges. National Law School of India Review, 31(2), 135-156.
Jha, V. (2021). Community forest rights and bioenergy: Legal challenges and opportunities. Journal of Indian Law and Society, 12, 78-98.
Kumar, A., & Patel, R. (2022). Bamboo-based bio-energy in tribal regions: Opportunities and challenges. Renewable Energy, 192, 264-275.
Kumar, S. (2021). Constitutional protection of tribal rights in India: An assessment. Supreme Court Cases, 15, 145-162.
Merry, S. E. (2019). The seductions of quantification: Measuring human rights, gender violence, and sex trafficking. University of Chicago Press.
Ministry of Tribal Affairs. (2022). Annual report 2021-22. Government of India.
Mishra, A. (2022). Scheduled areas governance: Implementation challenges of PESA. Economic and Political Weekly, 57(18), 45-51.
Mohanty, B. (2020). Renewable energy transition in India: Examining the Justice dimensions. Energy Justice, 15, 100028.
Narain, S. (2023). Climate justice and indigenous knowledge systems. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Environmental Science. Oxford University Press.
Nawn, N. (2022). Forest commons, traditional practices and sustainability. International Journal of the Commons, 16(1), 94-107.
Pal, S. (2021). Energy justice in India: Exploring the intersections of caste, class and gender. Energy Research & Social Science, 73, 101930.
Payeng, K., & Das, S. (2022). Traditional ecological knowledge and forest conservation: Case studies from Northeast India. Nature Conservation, 48, 65-79.
Rajamani, L. (2021). Climate litigation in the Global South: Constraints and innovations. Transnational Environmental Law, 10(2), 217-237.
Rana, P. (2020). Indigenous communities and renewable energy: Consent, consultation and co-management. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 130, 109914.
Razzaque, J. (2022). Participatory rights in environmental decision-making in South Asia. Vermont Journal of Environmental Law, 23(1), 44-68.
Sahu, G. (2020). Wind energy development and contested landscapes in coastal India. Land Use Policy, 97, 104758. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104758
Sarkar, R. (2022). Renewable energy and land conflicts in India. Energy, Sustainability and Society, 12(1), 1-18.
Sharma, A., & Singh, J. (2022). Small hydropower development in Himalayan region: Conflicts and compatibility with traditional water systems. Mountain Research and Development, 42(2), P1-P10.
Sharma, D. (2021). Decentralized renewable energy: Success factors from the Dharnai solar microgrid. Energy for Sustainable Development, 60, 176-185.
Shetty, P. K. (2022). Legal protection of traditional knowledge: Challenges and opportunities. Intellectual Property Rights, 10(2), 128-142.
Singh, G. (2023). Indigenous knowledge systems and climate resilience: Evidence from tribal communities in central India. Climate and Development, 15(2), 142-155.
TERI. (2023). Indigenous knowledge integration in renewable energy planning: Case studies from Maharashtra. The Energy and Resources Institute.
Trakansuphakon, P. (2020). Indigenous rotational farming: A sustainable system under threat. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 18(6), 583-594.
United Nations. (2007). United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. UN General Assembly.
Veltmeyer, H. (2020). Resistance, class struggle and social movements in Latin America: Contemporary dynamics. The Journal of Peasant Studies, 47(7), 1473-1502.
Venkataraman, C., Brauer, M., Tibrewal, K., Sadavarte, P., Ma, Q., Cohen, A., Chaliyakunnel, S., Frostad, J., Klimont, Z., Martin, R. V., Meng, J., Smith, K. R., & Stanaway, J. D. (2018). Source influence on emission pathways and ambient PM2.5 pollution over India (2015–2050). Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 18(12), 8017-8039. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-8017-2018
Weston, B. H., & Bollier, D. (2021). Green governance: Ecological survival, human rights, and the law of the commons. Cambridge University Press.
Williams, T., & Hardison, P. (2020). Culture, law, risk and governance: Contexts of traditional knowledge in climate change adaptation. Climatic Change, 120(3), 531-544. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-013-0850-0
World Bank. (2021). Indigenous peoples and renewable energy: Opportunities for engagement. World Bank Group.
Xaxa, V. (2021). State, society, and tribes: Issues in post-colonial India. Oxford University Press.
License Terms
Ownership and Licensing:
Authors of research papers submitted to any journal published by The Law Brigade Publishers retain the copyright of their work while granting the journal specific rights. Authors maintain ownership of the copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication. Simultaneously, authors agree to license their research papers under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) License.
License Permissions:
Under the CC BY-SA 4.0 License, others are permitted to share and adapt the work, even for commercial purposes, provided that appropriate attribution is given to the authors, and acknowledgment is made of the initial publication by The Law Brigade Publishers. This license encourages the broad dissemination and reuse of research papers while ensuring that the original work is properly credited.
Additional Distribution Arrangements:
Authors are free to enter into separate, non-exclusive contractual arrangements for distributing the published version of the work (e.g., posting it to institutional repositories or publishing it in books), provided that the original publication by The Law Brigade Publishers is acknowledged.
Online Posting:
Authors are encouraged to share their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on personal websites) both prior to submission and after publication. This practice can facilitate productive exchanges and increase the visibility and citation of the work.
Responsibility and Liability:
Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submitted research papers do not infringe on the copyright, privacy, or other rights of third parties. The Law Brigade Publishers disclaims any liability for any copyright infringement or violation of third-party rights within the submitted research papers.
Citation Metrics
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Sahil Asiwal, Shivani Srivastava (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright © 2026 by Sahil Asiwal, Shivani Srivastava
The copyright and license terms mentioned on this page take precedence over any other license terms mentioned on the article full text PDF or any other material associated with the article.
How to Cite
Citations List
