RUAHA CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY

This study examines the critical role of special libraries and archives in preserving Indigenous Ecological Knowledge (IEK) and its implications for biodiversity conservation and sustainable tourism in Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA). As TANAPA navigates challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and evolving tourism demands, integrating IEK offers a pathway toward more resilient and equitable management. However, this predominantly oral and localized knowledge is at risk of erosion. This research posits that special libraries can act as dynamic repositories and ethical intermediaries, facilitating the integration of IEK into conservation planning and visitor experiences through collaborative curation and digital preservation. Employing a qualitative multi-case study approach, the research focuses on libraries associated with TANAPA parks, using systematic review analysis. Expected outcomes highlight a dual impact: for conservation, archived IEK can inform adaptive management practices like traditional fire management; for tourism, ethically curated IEK can transform visitor interpretation into deeper cultural-ecological storytelling. The study concludes by proposing a "Living Libraries" framework that not only preserves knowledge but ensures its intergenerational transmission and practical application. This research argues that such knowledge infrastructure is a strategic imperative for achieving TANAPA's intertwined goals of conservation, sustainable tourism, and community engagement.

Indigenous Ecological Knowledge, special libraries, Tanzania National Parks, conservation, sustainable tourism, knowledge management, decolonizing archives.