Forging pluralistic praxis: Mapping barriers to knowledge braiding in aquatic conservation

A persistent ‘knowing‐doing gap’ separates international policy from the on‐the‐ground practice of braiding Indigenous and Local Knowledge (ILK) in conservation. This disconnect undermines conservation effectiveness and marginalizes Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs). Because this gap stems from a complex web of poorly understood obstacles, we aim to systematically map the evidence on barriers that impact this braiding process. Following the guidelines of the CEE (Collaboration for Environmental Evidence) and the ROSES (Reporting Standards for Systematic Evidence Syntheses), this systematic map will proceed through five stages: systematic search syntax construction, a comprehensive literature search, a two‐stage screening process, structured data coding and a final descriptive synthesis and mapping of evidence using the Population, Concept and Context (PCC) framework. The resulting map will provide a holistic diagnosis of barriers affecting ILK braiding and a summary of documented enablers by characterizing the evidence base through bibliographic, geographic and scientometric features to reveal critical knowledge gaps and research clusters in aquatic conservation practice. This synthesis is a vital step towards a more pluralistic praxis in aquatic social–ecological systems. By systematically identifying these systemic barriers, our work provides the evidence‐based foundation required to move from global policy theory to a genuinely inclusive approach. It also provides the basis for future empirical study into social‐psychological barriers, such as pluralistic ignorance, within the conservation community. Practical implication. Our findings will be translated into two key practical outputs: a conceptual model of the barrier landscape and a practitioner guidebook with actionable strategies. These tools will help bridge the implementation gap by providing conservationists and policymakers with a clear framework to identify, navigate and overcome the systemic obstacles to equitable knowledge braiding.