Introduction to the Indigenous Knowledge and Development Monitor

The Indigenous Knowledge and Development Monitor is aimed at all those with an interest in the role of indigenous knowledge--also known as local or traditional knowledge--in participatory approaches to sustainable development. It provides:

• an instrument for the exchange of information;
• a platform for debate on the concept of indigenous knowledge in a variety of disciplines;
• an overview of activities in the field of indigenous knowledge and sustainable development.

The Indigenous Knowledge and Development Monitor consists of two main sections: Articles and Communications. The Articles, which reflect the state of the art of indigenous knowledge in various policy sectors and disciplines, focuses on:

• research: the study of indigenous knowledge systems; research methodology, needs and results; cooperation in research; and organizational aspects of research;
• theory and practice: the interface of indigenous knowledge and scientific knowledge, and the use of research results in the preparation and implementation of development projects;
• policy: indigenous knowledge as an area of interest and a policy instrument for donors, international organizations, governments, NGOs and development organizations.

The section Communications is divided into the following subsections: Resource centres, research, conferences (both past and coming), networks, calls (for information and cooperation, papers and research proposals), databases, publications, and films and audio-visual devices. The major function of this section is to disseminate information, to inform the broader public about various local initiatives and activities, and to stimulate national and international cooperation.

Nuffic-CIRAN produces the Monitor in close cooperation with indigenous knowledge resource centres in Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Georgia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, the Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uruguay, the USA and Venezuela. The editorial board of the Monitor is responsible for the editorial policy. Corresponding editors have an institutional base in the various IK resource centres. Associate corresponding editors are similarly affiliated with organizations active in the field of indigenous knowledge, alongside their other activities. The editor coordinates the production, and is responsible for seeing that the Monitor reflects the policies of the editorial board and Nuffic-CIRAN.
At present the hard copy of the Monitor is distributed to more than 3000 recipients in 120 countries. With the aid of grants from Nuffic and the IDRC, it was possible to provide the Monitor free of charge to all readers in 1993 and 1994. Since 1995, those living in the USA, Canada, Europe, Japan, New Zealand and Australia have been asked to pay for their subscriptions. Thanks to grants from Nuffic and the Directorate General for International Cooperation of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, readers living in other countries and regions, who may not be able to afford a subscription, have continued to receive the Monitor free of charge.

The Monitor is published three times a year; ideally, there are two regular issues and one special issue. The Monitor first appeared in February 1993. Volume 1 (1-3) and Volume 2 (1-2) are no longer available.

The themes of the two special issues to date are:

• Proceedings of the international conference 'Indigenous knowledge and sustainable development', which took place in the Philippines. This conference resulted in a number of recommendations and an action plan for the international network for indigenous knowledge and development.
• Women and indigenous knowledge, and gender and indigenous knowledge. This issue was edited by Dr Maria E. Fernàndez and Drs Akke W. Tick.

The Monitor on line
The electronic version of the Monitor, which is available through Gopher as well as WWW, has the same objectives as the hard copy of the Monitor. However there are differences regarding its format. The main differences are:

• References: References are given to the files of the electronic version.
• Lay-out: In the version for Gopher, italic, bold etc has disappeared and the tables are only available in a post-script version.
• Photo's and figures: These are not available.

We have chosen to distribute the Monitor in parts, allowing people to download the information of their interest and therefore to work as cost-effective as possible.

Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Dr Rajasekaran (CIESIN), Doug Fils (IITAP/ISU), Dr Wim Dechering (LEAD/University of Leiden) for giving us support in the initial phases of bringing the Monitor on line. We also highly appreciated the support and assistance of the information systems section of Nuffic and the department of communications (in particular Quirijn Slings) of Nuffic. Finally, the Monitor would not have been on line without the endless support, input and patience of Ms Annelies Kruidhof.

For more information, please contact the editor:
Ms Akke W. Tick
Nuffic-CIRAN
P.O. Box 29777
2502 LT The Hague
The Netherlands
Tel: +31-70-4260324
Fax: +31-70-4260329
E-mail: ikdm@nuffic.nl