New Protocol Maps Freshwater Knowledge Braiding Methods

Researchers from the University of Debrecen have published a detailed protocol for a systematic map designed to synthesize global methodologies that braid Traditional Ecological Knowledge with Western science in freshwater management. The study, appearing in the journal Environmental Evidence, outlines a rigorous framework to address a critical gap in the evidence base for managing imperiled freshwater social-ecological systems. By charting the diverse approaches, frameworks, and models used to combine these distinct knowledge systems, the protocol aims to empower researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to design more effective and equitable conservation strategies.

The urgency of this research is underscored by the severe state of global freshwater ecosystems. Monitored freshwater vertebrate populations have experienced an average decline of 83% since 1970, while the IUCN Red List indicates that one in four assessed freshwater species now faces extinction. These dramatic losses are driven by anthropogenic pressures such as habitat degradation, pollution, and climate change. Effective management is further constrained by significant knowledge gaps, including the absence of historical baselines and the limitations of conventional scientific monitoring, which often fails to capture long-term ecological dynamics.

A primary challenge in freshwater conservation is the Shifting Baseline Syndrome, where each new generation normalizes a more degraded state, obscuring long-term trends. To counter these limitations, the authors adopt the term “braiding” to describe the process of bringing together Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Western science. Unlike the term “integration,” which can imply the assimilation of one system into another, braiding suggests that both knowledge systems retain their distinct integrity. Like the individual strands of a braid, they combine to create a stronger, more robust understanding for management action.

The protocol defines Traditional Ecological Knowledge as the cumulative, place-based body of knowledge, practices, and beliefs about the environment held by Indigenous Peoples and local communities. This knowledge is a key component of what global bodies like the IPBES refer to as Indigenous and Local Knowledge. The authors contrast this with Western science, defined as the formal, hypothesis-driven methodologies used to assess and manage social-ecological systems. By design, this pluralistic approach allows Traditional Ecological Knowledge to address common gaps in Western science, offering crucial insights into ecological history and sustainable practices that are otherwise often missed.

The foundational mandate for this knowledge braiding was established at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, where Agenda 21 called for recognizing the role of Indigenous Peoples and their knowledge. This political commitment was legally codified in the Convention on Biological Diversity and is cemented in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The 2024 IPBES Thematic Assessment further reiterates the need for the “weaving of Indigenous and local knowledge in decision-making.” However, while valuable reviews on Traditional Ecological Knowledge exist, a comprehensive synthesis of the specific methodologies for braiding this knowledge with Western science in freshwater management remains a critical gap.

The primary objective of the systematic map is to identify, collate, and describe these methodologies to chart the research landscape. The review is structured using the Population, Concept, and Context framework. The population includes studies focusing on Traditional Ecological Knowledge held by Indigenous Peoples, local communities, or resource-dependent groups such as artisanal fishers. The concept encompasses the full spectrum of braiding strategies, including guiding approaches, conceptual frameworks, and specific models. The context is defined as inland aquatic social-ecological systems globally, including freshwater environments and transitional brackish habitats such as estuaries and deltas.

To ensure comprehensiveness, the protocol employs a multi-layered search strategy across three core bibliographic databases: Web of Science, Scopus, and the ProQuest Natural Science Collection. These databases were selected to provide comprehensive coverage, leveraging the curated indexing of Web of Science, the extensive international coverage of Scopus, and the specialized environmental focus of ProQuest. Based on scoping tests, these three databases yield 3,464 articles. The search strategy was validated by iteratively testing five versions in Scopus against a pre-defined test list of 20 key articles. Search 4 was selected as the final optimal search string because it achieved 100% sensitivity, retrieving all 20 test articles with a total of 1,417 results.

The search will be limited to articles published in English, a decision based on the linguistic proficiency of the review team. The authors acknowledge that this decision may introduce a geographic bias, a limitation that will be addressed in the discussion of the final systematic map. In addition to peer-reviewed studies, the protocol includes a targeted search for grey literature, specifically doctoral dissertations in the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global database and reports from key international organizational websites.

All retrieved records will be collated in EndNote for metadata management and deduplication before being imported into the systematic review software Colandr for a two-stage screening process. The first stage involves title and abstract screening, where articles are screened against established eligibility criteria. If there is any uncertainty regarding an article’s relevance, it will be conservatively retained for the next stage. The second stage involves full-text screening, where all potentially relevant articles are retrieved and screened again using the same criteria. A record of all excluded articles, along with specific reasons for exclusion, will be kept in line with ROSES reporting standards.

To ensure transparency and minimize bias, the protocol mandates a two-part consistency check prior to the main screening at each stage. First, a calibration exercise will be conducted where two reviewers independently screen a pilot subset of at least 50 articles. Inter-reviewer agreement will be quantified using Cohen’s Kappa, and a score below 0.6 will trigger a discussion to refine the eligibility criteria. Second, once consistency is established, a single reviewer will screen the remaining articles, while a second reviewer independently screens a random subset of at least 20% of the articles at both stages. All disagreements will be resolved through discussion to reach a consensus.

The eligibility criteria are structured according to the components of the primary question. To be included, a study must focus on Traditional Ecological Knowledge or its synonyms and describe a methodology that involves the combination of this knowledge with Western science for planning, management, monitoring, or assessment. The study must be situated within an inland aquatic social-ecological system anywhere in the world. Editorials, opinion pieces, and secondary literature will be excluded from the final data extraction, although review articles meeting eligibility criteria will be set aside for the supplementary snowballing search.

The protocol does not plan to conduct a formal critical appraisal of individual articles, as the primary objective is to map the breadth of the evidence base rather than determine the robustness of individual findings. Instead, the authors will extract and code key methodological details from each study, including study design and data collection methods. This approach provides a foundation for future reviews and allows readers to understand the methodological landscape of the field. Data will be extracted using a detailed coding protocol and a pre-designed data sheet, with all coded data taken directly from the published text.

The findings will be presented through three primary outputs: a narrative synthesis, a public database, and a suite of interactive data visualizations. The narrative synthesis will address secondary questions to build an evidence-based typology of braiding methodologies, identifying knowledge gaps and clusters using descriptive statistics, cross-tabulated heatmaps, and keyword co-occurrence network analysis. These analyses will be presented through interactive data visualizations, including evidence atlases created with EviAtlas. The final report will be submitted to Environmental Evidence, providing a consolidated evidence base to advance the effective and equitable braiding of Traditional Ecological Knowledge in freshwater management.

Subject of Research: Systematic map protocol for braiding Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Western science in freshwater management

Article Title: Braiding traditional ecological knowledge and Western science in the management of freshwater social-ecological systems: a systematic map protocol

Article References: Maliao, R. J., & Tóthmérész, B. (2025). Braiding traditional ecological knowledge and Western science in the management of freshwater social-ecological systems: a systematic map protocol. Environmental Evidence, 14(1), Article 17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13750-025-00371-8

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s13750-025-00371-8

Keywords: Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Freshwater ecosystems, Systematic map, Western science, Knowledge braiding, Environmental management, Indigenous knowledge, Social-ecological systems, Conservation strategies, Biodiversity, Braiding, traditional