EvalIndigenous Venturing into Uncharted Waters – Advancing Indigenous Knowledge through the EvalIndigenous Dissemination Mini-Grant

Dr. Awuor PONGE
Africa Co-Convenor, EvalIndigenous Global Network

Cover Image - The Role of Indigenous Beliefs in Biodiversity Conservation and Climate Adaptation

In a world increasingly defined by climate uncertainty and biodiversity loss, new solutions are often sought in advanced technologies and formal policy systems. Yet, through the support of the EvalIndigenous Global Network Knowledge Dissemination Mini-Grant, my recent publication… Just off the press: “Sacred Groves and the Supernatural: The Role of Indigenous Beliefs in Biodiversity Conservation and Climate Adaptation in Sub-Saharan Africa,” demonstrates that some of the most effective solutions have existed for generations within Indigenous knowledge systems. This work brings to the forefront the ecological, cultural, and spiritual significance of sacred groves as living conservation systems that continue to sustain biodiversity, regulate ecosystems, and strengthen climate resilience across Africa.

Special thanks to the Global leadership of EvalIndigenous, Dr. Fiona Cram and Serge Eric Yakeu-Djiam for the guidance throughout this development and to my various friends and academics who have gone through the article and given their feedback, to refine the article to its present published status. I also acknowledge the general guidance from EvalPartners Network, under which EvalIndigenous works. Last but certainly not the least, the support received from the Ford Foundation that has supported the various activities that I have been engaged in under the EvalIndigenous Global Network, namely:

• Ponge, A., Kisioi, Alexander Koech., Awuor, Aisha Adhiambo., and Lelei, Stephen K. (2025). EvalIndigenous Stands with the Ogiek Community Amidst Eviction Fearshttps.
• Ponge, A., Kisioi, Alexander Koech., Awuor, Aisha Adhiambo., and Lelei, Stephen K. (2025). Indigenous Evaluation Blog – EvalIndigenous Stands with the Ogiek Community Amidst Eviction Fearshttps

Published in Journal of Climate Policy (JCP)

• Ponge, A., Oduor, Wycklif Ochieng’., Odhiambo, Collins Oduka., Murigo, Grace Wanjiru., Awuor, Aisha Adhiambo., Nzai, B. T., & Kisioi, Alexander Koech. (2025). ‘Traditional Decision-Making as Evaluation: Developing Indigenous Evaluation Methodologies with Kenyan Communities.’ Nairobi: EvalIndigenous.
• Ponge, Awuor & Murigo, Grace Wanjiru. (2024). July 2023 – December 2024: Indigenous Evaluation: Chenda Chenda Celebrations 2024 – Traditional Decision-Making as Evaluation.
• Ponge, Awuor & Murigo, Grace Wanjiru. (2024). Indigenous Evaluation Blog: Chenda Chenda Celebrations 2024 – Traditional Decision-Making as Evaluation.
• January 2022 – December 2022: EvalIndigenous visit with the Mijikenda of Kwale County, Kenya 2022.

Indigenous belief systems are not peripheral, but foundational to sustainable environmental stewardship and climate adaptation

• Ponge, Awuor & Murigo, Grace Wanjiru. (2022). January 2022 – June 2022: Development of the Indigenous African Voices from Kenya Project: The Mijikenda of Kwale County in Kenya for EvalIndigenous Global Network and EvalPartners, in the capacity of Africa Regional Representative for EvalIndigenous Global Network.
• Ponge, Awuor., Oduor, Wycklif Ochieng’ & Murigo, Grace Wanjiru.(2021). January 2020 – June 2021: Development of the EvalIndigenous Network’s ‘Indigenous African Ethical Protocol for Evaluations.’ Ottawa: EvalIndigenous.
• Ponge, Awuor. & Oduor, Wycklif Ochieng’. (2020). January 2020 – December 2020: Development of the EvalIndigenous Voices Project (Africa) for EvalIndigenous Global Network and EvalPartners, in the capacity of Africa Regional Representative for EvalIndigenous Global Network.

The current article has just been published in the Journal of Climate Policy (JCP), Volume 5, Issue No. 1 (2026). It appears on pages 12 – 32 under the title: “Sacred Groves and the Supernatural: The Role of Indigenous Beliefs in Biodiversity Conservation and Climate Adaptation in Sub-Saharan Africa.” The article can be cited as follows, using the APA Style 7th Edition:

• Ponge, A. (2026). Sacred Groves and the Supernatural: The Role of Indigenous Beliefs in Biodiversity Conservation and Climate Adaptation in Sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Climate Policy, 5(1), 12 – 32. DOI: 10.47941/jcp.3612

Sacred groves are biocultural conservation systems, outperforming state-managed protected areas in biodiversity and ecosystem services

In this study, I have drawn on comparative evidence across sub-Saharan Africa, to demonstrate that these sites sustain rich biodiversity, regulate microclimates, protect watersheds, and contribute to carbon sequestration, often outperforming conventional state-managed conservation models. This evidence underscores the central argument that Indigenous belief systems are not peripheral, but foundational to sustainable environmental stewardship and climate adaptation.

The EvalIndigenous Global Network Dissemination Mini-Grant has played a transformative role in ensuring that this research does not remain confined to academic circles. Instead, it has enabled the translation of complex findings into accessible, community-friendly formats, including a simplified report and digital dissemination across Indigenous networks. This approach reflects a fundamental shift in how knowledge is shared – moving from extraction and publication toward reciprocity, accessibility, and community relevance. It will ensure that the very communities whose knowledge underpins the research will engage with, validate, and benefit from it.

Indigenous beliefs and rituals sustain ecosystems and climate resilience through spiritual authority and community governance

At its core, this article challenges dominant conservation narratives by demonstrating that Indigenous belief systems – through taboos, rituals, and spiritual custodianship – are not obstacles to development, but powerful governance systems that often outperform formal conservation approaches. Sacred groves emerge not only as biodiversity hotspots but also as climate adaptation infrastructures: protecting watersheds, enhancing soil stability, regulating microclimates, and storing carbon. At the same time, the study highlights growing threats from modernization, cultural erosion, and policy neglect, calling for urgent integration of Indigenous knowledge into mainstream environmental governance.

In supporting this work, the EvalIndigenous Global Network is venturing into uncharted waters – redefining what counts as valid knowledge, who produces it, and how it should be shared. This is more than a dissemination effort; it is part of a broader movement to indigenise evaluation and reposition Indigenous worldviews at the centre of global conversations on sustainability and climate action. The Mini-Grant model sets a precedent for how research can be both academically rigorous and socially transformative, by prioritising culturally grounded dissemination and amplifying Indigenous voices.

Modernization and cultural erosion threaten sacred groves, calling for urgent integration of Indigenous knowledge into policy

This journey reaffirms that the future of climate resilience and biodiversity conservation will not be secured by external interventions alone, but through meaningful partnerships that recognise, respect, and elevate Indigenous knowledge systems. As we continue to explore these uncharted waters, the role of platforms like EvalIndigenous becomes ever more critical – not just in supporting research, but in reshaping the very paradigms through which knowledge, policy, and practice are understood.

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Dr Awuor Ponge

Sasakawa Fellowship Scholar, The Practice of International Development; Former Vice-President, African Evaluation Association (AfrEA); Africa Representative, EvalIndigenous Evaluators Network - EvalPartners; Senior Associate Fellow i/c Research, Policy & Evaluation, African Policy Centre (APC); Adjunct Faculty, Development & Policy Studies, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST)
E-Mail: [email protected] | ponge@africanpolicycentre.com | awuor.ponge@ku.ac.ke
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6656-1818