Two-Eyed Seeing: Science & Traditional Ecological Knowledge

Indigenous peoples have lived in harmony with nature for tens of thousands of years. Colonialism and the Industrial Revolution, however, managed to decimate biodiversity and create climate chaos in about 200. The surprising solution to our planet-sized problems may require a hybrid approach.

In this video, Indigenous and tribal leaders and scientists advocate for "two-eyed seeing," or marrying traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) with modern science: "There's a Western framework [and] there's also a traditional framework," says Dr. Frank Lake, a research ecologist for the USDA Forest Service and a member of the Yurok and Karuk communities, "and when you can align those and bring those together, then we help create the best available science together."