Local and indigenous knowledge systems on nature-based solutions: Addressing Green Colonialism in Mangrove restoration of the Indian Sundarbans

Abstract

Nature-based solutions (NbS) have increasingly become mechanisms of ‘green colonialism,’ driven by global interest in green development within a green capitalist framework. The dual impact of ‘green colonialism’ and climate change is creating a compounded burden on marginalised and Indigenous communities, highlighting the urgent need to address its effects on their livelihoods and to advocate for their active participation in climate adaptation efforts. Drawing on extensive ethnographic fieldwork (2022–2024), qualitative geo-spatial analysis (2018–2024), and reflexive epistemologies through first-person narratives rooted in personal lived and work experiences, this study establishes a theoretical foundation to address two critical questions: how does NbS influence ‘green colonialism’ in the Indian Sundarbans, and how might Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (LINKS) contribute to NbS for mangrove regeneration and climate adaptation? Findings indicate that Indigenous communities face substantial obstacles in asserting their environmental rights, often affected by externally imposed NbS conservation practices. Furthermore, integrating LINKS can enhance community-led NbS, embodying an “alternative environmentalism” that challenges dominant green development paradigms. This article contributes to the global climate adaptation debate by illustrating how ‘green colonialism’ exposes the intersection of capital expansion and environmentalism, and the marginalisation of LINKS within this framework.