Dharmic Leadership as Catalyst for Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Environmental Stewardship in Northeast Indian Communities

Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) systems in Northeast India stand resilient in the face of the pressures from modernisation and climate change. However, the mechanisms by which traditional leadership translates TEK into environmental stewardship remain poorly understood. This research introduces the TEK–Dharma-based Sustainability Outcomes (TDSO) framework to study the mediating role of dharmic leadership in the relationship between TEK and environmental stewardship, and in achieving socio-ecological resilience and sustainable livelihood outcomes. This study employs an ethnographic case study design, in which semi-structured interviews and ethnographic studies were conducted with 31 traditional livelihood practitioners across Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, spanning the domains of agriculture, handicrafts, traditional healing and forest-dependent sectors. A mixed-methods analysis is conducted, combining quantitative analysis of the TDSO model using structural equation modelling with partial least squares and qualitative thematic synthesis for result validation. The results reveal a significant relationship between TEK and dharmic leadership ( β = 0.6371, p < .001), and between environmental stewardship, characterised by seva-based community action, and socio-ecological resilience and sustainable livelihood outcomes ( β = 0.6148, p < .001). Dharmic leadership significantly mediates the relationship between TEK and environmental stewardship (indirect β = 0.304, p = .045). These findings are not only significant for advancing social–ecological theories by demonstrating the importance of spiritual principles in facilitating TEK application for sustainability outcomes through mechanisms of karmic responsibility and seva orientation, but they also offer pathways for integrating traditional governance structures with contemporary environmental policy frameworks.