ABSTRACT
Anthropological claims about indigenous or local knowledge often exaggerate the cultural mystique of such knowledge ‘systems’ and the difficulties associated with rendering local knowledge accessible to outsiders and with ascertaining its utility for initiatives in economic development and environmental conservation. The possible importance of knowledge factors in its spread was recognized from the outset, and such factors were given due attention in the course of the research whenever they were seen to be relevant to explaining mangrove planting. However, planters were found to vary considerably in terms of the deployment of other, more specific practices. Such variation was found, in cases, to reflect genuine differences in knowledge between planters and, either demonstrably or else possibly, to have important consequences for planting success. The more knowledgeable planters are typically opportunistic and curious in their approach to planting: most of what they know has been learned from ongoing trial and error and from observing others from a distance.
