Traditional and Indigenous knowledges

India has had some significant success in reducing the death tolls from cyclones and flooding in recent years due to better preparedness and early warnings. In October 2014 and October 2013 large scale evacuations saved many lives as early warnings were disseminated in a timely and effective way to endangered populations along the Bay of Bengal.

'The indigenous ways of mitigating disaster risks are still very much alive, and they teach us that our instincts are not to be ignored. But this does not mean that science is less important. Experience enriches science, and science pinpoints practice in the right direction.' writes Faye Gonzalez, media officer for DRR for Caucus of Development NGO Networks, in an article on Rappler...

An important effort is being made in a disaster prone area of Nicaragua to create understanding and awareness of how indigenous people cope with natural hazards by tapping into their ancestral store of knowledge and keeping it alive.

International Day for Disaster Reduction arrived early today in the Philippines. Globally, the Day is marked next Tuesday on October 13 but the Philippines Senate today took time out to celebrate the Day’s theme of community and local knowledge for disaster risk management.

A small community on the disaster prone coast of Bangladesh is translating the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction into the local dialect as part of an ongoing community revival since it was hit hard by Cyclone Sidr in 2007.

Nhung from Quang Xuong district, Thanh Hoa province tells the story of how her ancestors relied on the wind and the observation of animals to predict disaster. 'I believe when our villagers combine both their traditional experiences and modern knowledge, they can be safe when going out to the sea and limit the impacts of natural disasters.' Nhung says...

Journal of South Asia Disaster Studies, Volume 5, Number 1-2, December 2012:

The article tries to identify and reveal indigenous myths and beliefs that exist in the Island Chars communities in Bangladesh, a remote, geographically isolated territory, and

The tiny community of El Solís in rural Guatemala is tapping into its local knowledge on biodiversity and maintaining a native seeds bank to help it cope with drought, food insecurity and climate change.