Traditional knowledge and climate change

Updated: Thu, 18 Oct 2018

Even in cities, natural signs can warn of floods, researchers find

A study says indigenous knowledge on how nature flags up extreme weather is also relevant in urban areas to help alert residents

Indigenous knowledge crucial to tackling climate change - experts
Traditional skills and knowledge should be seen as a complement, not a barrier, to scientific knowledge and climate adaptation efforts, say experts By Zoe Tabary | Wed, 28 Jun 2017
interview Indigenous people need a say on water rights: UN rapporteur
Indigenous knowledge, which could be key in making smart decisions about water, is being left out, an indigenous expert warns By Adela Suliman | Fri, 30 Aug 2019
interview Young activist set to bring India's tribal wisdom to climate fight
Archana Soreng, a new youth advisor to the U.N.'s secretary general, says tapping indigenous knowledge is crucial to battling planetary warming By Moushumi Basu | Wed, 12 Aug 2020
Local crop seeds key to food security, Malawi admits
Malawi's government is under pressure to protect rights of farmers to choose local seed as the country revises its farm policies By Charles Mkoka | Fri, 29 Sep 2017
As climate shifts, tradition threatens Sri Lanka's rice harvest
What happens when the new right time to plant falls in the middle of a holiday? By Amantha Perera | Wed, 4 May 2016
Indigenous stories collected to fill climate change data gaps
People's observations provide a vivid picture of climate shifts, and could help guide adaptation policies By Sebastien Malo | Fri, 29 Apr 2016
As droughts surge and traditions wane, nature in Kenya struggles
The need for millions of young Kenyans to earn an income, combined with weakening cultural restrictions on protecting land, are hurting Kenyan nature, older people say By Wesley Langat | Tue, 23 Jan 2018
Indigenous leaders seek forest protection role in climate fight
Indigenous peoples express frustration at neglect of their ability to safeguard forests and the carbon they store By Nádia Pontes | Sun, 24 Apr 2016
With climate deal, activists seek land rights for native people
Actor Alec Baldwin joins calls to protect carbon-absorbing forests by giving indigenous people rights to their land By Sebastien Malo | Thu, 21 Apr 2016
Pressure grows on Jakarta to tackle indigenous rights abuses
"We were blamed, captured, criminalised for defending our own lands" By Fidelis E. Satriastanti | Fri, 25 Mar 2016
First U.S. coastal community relocates as sea levels rise
Native American tribe living in Louisiana coastal wetlands has lost some 98 percent of its land By Sebastien Malo | Thu, 17 Mar 2016
Warming climate helps Canada miners ship supplies, melts ice roads
Melting ice is cutting off crucial supply lines for remote communities, many of whom are Indigenous Inuit By Thomson Reuters Foundation | Wed, 9 Mar 2016
Many indigenous people lack title to land where they live
Up to two thirds of world's land held by indigenous people under informal systems not legally recognised by states By Chris Arsenault | Wed, 2 Mar 2016
Investor push urged to help secure indigenous land rights
Conditions ripe for global leap in recognising community land rights but pressure on states needed, experts say By Megan Rowling | Wed, 3 Feb 2016
Lack of local land rights harms anti-poverty, climate change fight
New figures highlight "catastrophic failure of governments to respect the basic land rights of over 1 billion people" By Megan Rowling | Wed, 30 Sep 2015
To sustain forests, Asia needs to invest in local people - experts
Over 450 million people in Asia rely on forests for income and food, but forest dwellers often struggle to make a living By Astrid Zweynert | Tue, 14 Jul 2015
Turtle eggs to hornets, traditional know-how feeds into resilience
Indigenous forecasting in Vanuatu to be investigated, with best methods put into disaster warnings and climate forecasts By Catherine Wilson | Wed, 25 Jun 2014
Resilient traditional rice set for comeback in Sri Lanka
As farmers struggle with increasingly extreme weather, old rice varieties may be an answer By Amantha Perera | Fri, 11 Oct 2013
As insects disappear, so do Kenya's traditional forecasts
Deforestation, pesticide use and changing weather conditions are undermining insect-based forecasting By Caleb Kemboi | Fri, 11 Oct 2013
Climate-hit Salvadorans return to indigenous farming
Yields are lower, but farmers feel they have better resilience and are reclaiming their roots By Nelson Renteria | Fri, 27 Sep 2013
Forest traditions make business sense for indigenous people
Community forest enterprises can help protect threatened forest people - and their forests By Jake Lucas | Mon, 18 Nov 2013
Climate-hit Zimbabwe farmers opt for traditional crops
The ability to sell seed they produce themselves – rather than relying on hybrids – can increase their resilience, some farmers say By Busani Bafana | Fri, 13 Sep 2013
Zimbabwe farmers turn back to tradition as rainfall changes
But experts warn traditional knowledge alone will not be enough to cope with changing conditions By Marko Phiri | Sat, 28 Jan 2012
Merging science, tradition could benefit climate adaptation
"You need both scientific and local understanding. Both sets of information could support the other," a Guyana indigenous leader says By Johann Earle | Tue, 10 Jul 2012