Cultural Identity and Sustainable Resource Management: A Systematic Review of Environmental Practices, Knowledge, and Community Sustainability

Abstract

The social and cultural aspects of sustainability are receiving more attention due to growing environmental issues. Cultural identity is becoming more widely acknowledged as a factor influencing how people relate to natural resources, even though policy and technology are still crucial. However, a comprehensive grasp of its importance is limited by the dispersed nature of extant research across fields. Using PRISMA criteria, this systematic review synthesises recent research (2020–2025) from five databases. To investigate how cultural identity affects sustainable resource management and to pinpoint important gaps, a theme analysis was carried out. The results demonstrate how cultural identity promotes sustainability through stewardship activities, community involvement, traditional ecological knowledge, and environmental ideals. Strong cultural identification is typically associated with increased participation in sustainable behaviour, communal governance, and conservation. Long-term environmental activities seem to be especially dependent on shared norms and traditional ecological knowledge. However, urban and multicultural contexts continue to receive little attention in research, which is still mostly focused on indigenous and rural settings. Additionally, little is known about how various mediating elements interact with one another. The review emphasises the importance of incorporating cultural viewpoints into sustainability research and policy, arguing that culturally sensitive methods can improve community-based resource management and environmental governance.