Exploring the dynamic functions of pastoral traditional knowledge

Pastoral traditional knowledge is increasingly recognized for its inherent adaptability in addressing contemporary challenges and increasing the resilience of pastoral communities. To deepen our understanding of how this knowledge system demonstrates adaptive characteristics, we employ a functional lens to examine its dynamic nature in this systematic review. Our analysis, based on insights from 152 case studies worldwide, shows that this knowledge system has various domains and serves diverse functions, including ecological, economic, and socio-cultural functions, with further subfunctions. Ecologically, pastoral traditional knowledge predominantly enhances climate adaptation and resilience; economically, it helps maintain herd productivity and sustain livelihood support; and socio-culturally, it is crucial for preserving the cultural identity and heritage of pastoral communities. Furthermore, our findings highlight that each knowledge domain shows multifunctional characteristic. Our analysis also helps identify common functions across eight knowledge domains, each contributing to areas like sustainable resource management and climate adaptation, though to varying degrees.