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I. INTRODUCTION
Sustainable development, generally defined as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,"1 has been widely criticized as an ambiguous concept. There is disagreement both over what sustainable development means and whether it can be translated into executable policy.2 These disagreements have in turn led to a proliferation of definitions3 and principles4 of sustainable development, reflecting different visions of development, which underscore the need for varied approaches to development consistent with local conditions.5 The proliferation of these definitions and principles also highlights the growing importance and entrenchment of the concept of sustainable development in international environmental law.6 Sustainable development has been recognized as a fundamental principle in international environmental law even though its legal meaning is still subject to debate.7
Broadly, the concept of sustainable development seeks to harmonize environmental goals with economic development goals, but it does not provide a systematic or coherent way of achieving this balance. Sustainable development's popularity probably stems from its amenability to multiple interpretations and varied implementation, which provides people, communities, and countries the flexibility of addressing environmental and economic development goals according to their unique local conditions.
For example, proponents of indigenous knowledge have argued that indigenous knowledge is essential to resolving the ecological and economic crises of modernity, particularly in developing countries.8 They argue that developing countries could overcome modernity's failure to promote human welfare by employing indigenous knowledge,9 in the same way pre-colonial societies utilized experientially derived knowledge from interactions with nature to sustain their livelihoods.10 Proponents of indigenous sustainability generally view the current ecological and economic crises of development as human-induced and surmountable.11 They seek to offer indigenous knowledge as an alternative or intervention strategy for mitigating, if not solving, ecological and economic problems, particularly in post-colonial societies.12 They also view sustainable development as inextricably intertwined with culture and seek to underscore the need for sensitivity towards, and respect for, diverse human civilizations13 in order to implement sustainable development policies.14 The indigenous sustainability thesis, however, is fairly recent, and evolving,15 despite unprecedented appeal among scholars and development experts.16 The potential for indigenous sustainability to enhance human welfare, especially in developing countries, could be overrated given that few policies exclusively tapping...