Indigenous Knowledge and Climate Change: Who will ring the bell?

Contrary to popular perception, indigenous or local communities have intimate knowledge of their environment (soils, water, forest, flora, fauna, etc), and most of their decisions and actions are informed by this knowledge-base.

The landscape within which indigenous knowledge can efficiently be used to support adaptation and mitigation action is heavily degraded, this is a reality we all need to wake up to

Indigenous or local knowledge is the basis for local-level decision-making in many rural communities. It has value not only for the culture in which it evolves, but also for scientists and planners striving to improve conditions in rural localities.

Over time, human relationship with nature has produced complex knowledge systems, which are responsive to change, self regenerating as well as being multidimensional in nature. The close knit association between this knowledge systems and ecosystems offers us the greatest opportunity to understand how humans respond to change. This is crucial especially now that we are faced with a major environmental crisis related to climate change.

Incorporating indigenous knowledge into climate change policies can lead to the development of effective adaptation strategies that are cost-effective, participatory and sustainable (IPCC). However, the papers in this publication point out that the ecological space within which indigenous knowledge can effectively be used for adaptation has severely been degraded. They also highlight the continued and existing threat from development practices including those meant to assist in the processes of adaptation and mitigation.

The papers explore the role of the indigenous knowledge from two extreme ecological systems; the wet ecological systems of Vietnam and Bangladesh to the dry to semi arid ecosystems of Kenya. The three country case studies show that, often linear solutions have been designed to resolve issues or problems that are multidimensional in nature. This approach has more or less tended to shift the temporal problem and transferring the inherent risks to solitary ecological units or to whole ecosystems. This in turn degrades the active role of indigenous or local knowledge systems.

There is an emerging trend on how the role of indigenous or local knowledge systems has been systematically marginalised through developmental interventions over time in the Global South.

The papers argue that when nature is approached from the classical ecological principles it is seen in many dimensions. This gives a comprehensive understanding of the ecosystems and how they are impacted by external factors, including those contributing to climatic change over time.

The papers conclude that, it is crucially important to use indigenous or local knowledge to regenerate the ecological balance where such has been destroyed. Local knowledge should also be used to protect intact ecosystems and in the regeneration of new environments. This is the only way to guarantee that such knowledge systems continue to play their deserved role including providing insight into mitigation and adaptation processes.

The papers also call on governments to develop responsive policies and legally binding instruments informed by the local knowledge systems. It is only by engaging and integrating such a crucial knowledge base in the national development policies, that nations can effectively deal with the emerging global developmental crisis including climate change.

The IPCC report on Climate Change 2007: Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, says “a portfolio of adaptation and mitigation measures can diminish the risks associated with climate change”.