Mainstream scientific and traditional knowledge systems possess the combined power to restore degraded habitats, boost biodiversity-based incomes, and mitigate climate-induced disasters. However, traditional knowledge is at a risk of being lost between generations, while scientific data is rarely translated into content relevant to local communities.
To bridge this gap, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) is developing site-specific, ChatGPT-powered WhatsApp chatbots: GramaMitra for the Bilgiri Rangaswamy Tiger Reserve (BRT) and GaonSahayog for the Sikkim-Darjeeling landscape. These tools provide stakeholders with instant, multilingual access to curated scientific and traditional knowledge, allowing them to (a) enhance biodiversity-based livelihoods, (b) restore agro-ecosystems and (c) conserve and manage biodiversity in their surrounding landscapes. Users can now address queries and obtain context-specific, summarised responses in their own languages, without the need to navigate complex web pages.
