Ecological Sustainability for “Life on Land”: Wellspring of Indigenous Knowledge
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThis is a compelling article whose analysis is in depth. It contributes to the SDG nuancing as it relates to Africa and its environment. However, the author needs to harmonise the definitions of indigenous knowledge. There is no engagement with the several definitions offered. I suggest one or two, properly engaged, will suffice. More importantly, where is the African voice? The overaching voices are the Western and Catholic! In fact, the author even went as far as suggesting - see lines 407-08 - the African indigenous knowledge is grounded on Aquinas's philosophy. This is recolonisation of African indigenous knowledge.
From lines 432-436, the author defined the scope of reference to Africa. However, this defined scope was hardly engaged in the rest of the work. In addition, it is problematic to use one religious tradition - Catholic in this sense - to underscore the religious attitude of these people to their environment.
Finally, the use of sacramental universe should be more nuanced and contextualised, because as it is, it resonates more with Catholic teaching than African indigenous knowledge.
Author Response
OPEN Reviewer 2:
Thank you for your valuable feedback.
Line 89-90; now 101-102. I prefer to keep the concept “Ecological Sustainability Issues in the subtitle, please. This is very important. I am an ethicist, and I need the article to show that I am doing ethics, focusing on sustainability, even if my focus is the UN Development Goal “Life on Land.”
Previous lines 146-147 are deleted.
Line 155-156. Now lines 167-168. The introduction of REDD is put further in the paragraph.
Line 169. Now 183. Suitable subheading provided.
Lines 173-174. I took out India and Indonesia.
I did not delete my reference to Laudato Si’, # 63 because it is important to the overall argument of the article, but I did move it somewhere else. Previous lines 228-250 are moved around. Now see lines 241-2. Instead I took out what was the first line 252-253 in the following Section on The “Sacramental Universe” in the Global Indigenous Communities.
Then, to show my inclusion of the sacramental universe from a non-Catholic perspective, I have included the Rarámuri cosmology and experience in the above Section. So, previous lines 252-268 are moved elsewhere. Now see, lines 271-292
I have rephrased things at the end of page 12. See in red, to make the connection between Wangari Matthai and pope Francis flows well.
On the question of Myths: I do say “Still, it needs to adapt to the post-modern challenges creatively.” See in red page 15-16. See also lines 586-590
The other changes are highlighted in red. I have engaged more my scope of reference to Africa in the rest of the article.
Thank you very much
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThank you for sending this interesting and relevant manuscript addressing the intersection between the United Nations SDGs and African Indigenous Knowledge Systems to reforestation and conservation in sub-Saharan Africa.
I have identified areas that need to be addressed to improve the manuscript. The following are right-hand margin line-by-line and in-text orange comments.
The title:
Please use the suggested title in orange in line 1.
Abstract:
Follow the suggestion lines, 4, 4-5, 8, 10, 11 and 13
Address the comment in line 8, 11 and 12-13, 15-16
Address the comment in orange abv Keywords
Introduction:
Follow the suggestion in lines 24, 29, 32,33, 43, 47, 52, 61,63, and 68
See the orange comment below line 77
Address the comment in lines 86-88
Follow the suggestion in lines 80
Body:
Follow the suggestion in line 90
See the orange comment on the left of lines 93-95
Follow the suggestion in lines 116,117,131 and 134
See the comments on the left of lines 146-154 and 169
Address the comment on line 173
Follow the suggestion on line176, 186
Address the comment on lines 219 and 222
Follow the suggestion on line 232
Address the orange comment below line 233
Follow the suggestion on lines 234, 235, 243 and 245-248
Address the orange comment on the left of lines 239-243
Use the orange subheading above line 251
Follow the suggestion in lines 257-258
Follow the suggestion in lines 264-265 and 271
Address the comment in line 273
Follow the suggestion in line 279
Follow the suggestion in lines 288, 291-292, 300-301 and 318-319
Address the comments in line 329
Follow the suggestion in lines 339, 341 and 347
Address the comment in lines 353, 356-357, and 400
Follow the suggestion in lines 402-412
See the orange comment on the left of lines 414-418
Follow the suggestion in lines 432-433, 433
See the orange comment on the left of lines 438-439
Address the comments in lines 448 and 451
Follow the suggestion in line 466, 481, 527, 562
Address the comment in line 572
Address the comment in line 678
Follow the suggestion in line 701
Conclusion:
Address the orange comment above line 715
Follow the suggestion in lines 719, 721 and 753
Comments for author File: Comments.pdf
Author Response
RESPONSES TO REVIEWERS
OPEN REVIEW 1
Thank you for your valuable feedback.
In the definition of Indigenous knowledge, I took out “and grasping “the variety of things in their multiple relationships.”
On Sacramental universe. Although I did include the African religion’s perspective (which is not Catholic), I took a few things out, such as:
• Ormerod suggests that the “sacramental universe” is “not the imagined wholeness of a fixed, static, unchanging set of things; [but] the wholeness or unity of an insight that grasps a totality within the data of the universe, a dynamic, interactive, emergent reality, heading towards greater complexity, but equally encompassing the reality of possible collapse and extinction.”
• Lonergan had claimed that there are things that are “too universal to be bribed, too impalpable to be forced, too effective to be ignored.”
To add a Rarámuri spirituality related to the sacramental universe (of course, it doesn’t use this concept). The author, Enrique Salmón, claims to be of the Tribal affiliation: Rarámuri. His perpectives are added to those of the African Religion that I already had and I have added insights to the latter.
To keep the notion of Indigenous knowledge that is most relevant, I took out some quotes, including the previous quote no. 57 by Samuel Awuah-Nyamekye (previous page 10)
Thank you for raising the point on Aquinas. I took out the American bishops and reference to Aquinas – previous lines 300-312 but kept later another reference to Aquinas’ treatise on creation because of his idea of an “ordaining wisdom.” I kept this language because it can be helpful for certain readers. This doesn’t mean I ground my definition of IK in a Thomistic view. See now lines 346-351. I have even added the view of the Indigenous peoples Yaka in the DR Congo on this point. It wouldn’t be surprising that Aquinas himself learned from the universe’s view of the indigenous people, as the latter were alive thousands of years before him and handed on their traditions to future generations. Many missionaries have written about these traditions. Aquinas has undoubtedly come across these writings. However, I cannot say this in the paper; this is not my area, and more research is required to affirm it. So, I do not mean to ground indigenous knowledge on Aquinas’ “ordaining wisdom” idea; it should be the other way around.
I have also stressed the rootedness of African cosmology and epistemology in African traditional religion for more clarity. See actual Lines 403-409
I have reduced Matthew 7:15-20, to one single verse 16. “By their fruits, you will know them.”
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThanks for effecting the suggestions and addressing my comments.
Comments for author File: Comments.pdf
