Ecologists and conservationists increasingly acknowledge that traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) is vital for a better understanding and conservation of biodiversity; for example, for a more complex socioecological understanding of long-term processes, ecosystem resilience, the impacts of traditional management practices, and the worldviews underpinning these practices. To gain a deeper understanding of the ecological dimensions of TEK, ecologists and conservation biologists should conduct participatory long-term collaborative research on TEK. To conduct TEK research properly, however, ecologists need to familiarize themselves more deeply with the methodologies of social sciences, further develop their links with social scientists, and adopt new approaches, such as strengthening respect towards other knowledge systems and being inclusive in research and open to new types of validation.

生态学家和保护主义者越来越认识到传统生态知识 (TEK) 对于更好地理解和保护生物多样性至关重要；例如，对于长期过程、生态系统复原力、传统管理实践的影响以及支撑这些实践的世界观的更复杂的社会生态学理解。为了更深入地了解 TEK 的生态维度，生态学家和保护生物学家应该对 TEK 进行参与性的长期合作研究。然而，为了正确地进行 TEK 研究，生态学家需要更深入地熟悉社会科学的方法，进一步发展他们与社会科学家的联系，并采用新的方法，