Traditional and Indigenous knowledges

This study assesses preparedness, response and recovery following Cyclone Ana in Zimbabwe. It finds gaps in preparedness, warning communication and coordination, and calls for community-centred DRM, stronger capacity, financing and contingency planning.

This policy brief presents a case study of Indigenous climate mobility governance, through which communities exercise authority to make decisions on how their land or other resources might or might not become available to support groups wanting to move

Most emergency alerts and warnings are not provided in languages spoken by Indigenous peoples, placing them at greater risk during fires, floods, and other disasters.

The main aim of the study is to identify, analyze, document, and improve indigenous knowledge and local practices for managing cyclone and storm-surge risks.

For millennia, fire was humanity's greatest tool. Today, it’s one of our greatest threats. Recovering control will require learning from the past while confronting the political choices of the present.

This report reveals that supporting First Nations women in fire and land management is a critical, yet untapped, strategy for protecting Australian communities from escalating climate disasters.

This report examines how Indigenous and Traditional Knowledge (ITK) contributes to climate resilience among iTaukei communities through sustainable natural resource management, disaster preparedness, resilient infrastructure, and food security practices.

This brief examines how Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous knowledge are reflected in National Adaptation Plans across mountain regions worldwide.

This illustrated booklet documents the enduring wisdom of traditional Sudanese homes and the indigenous, low-cost techniques communities have long used to stay cool during extreme heat.

This study explores the extent to which a unique subset of communities in the United States has been able to engage in planning that aligns with these dual imperatives.

How the youngest female employee of the Tongan weather service is in love with her job and her advice is to people during quiet times with no disasters.

For decades, cooling strategies have relied heavily on air conditioning, but this approach is increasingly strained by rising temperatures and growing energy demand.

General insurer IAG has renewed its partnership with the Aboriginal Carbon Foundation (AbCF), supporting AbCF on its mission to increase awareness and adoption of cultural land management to strengthen community resilience in a changing climate.

In 2024, the Fijian Meteorological Service announced it would integrate traditional environmental knowledge into its scientific forecasting – describing the pair as "a total package".

This paper assesses the Belém Adaptation Indicators adopted at COP30 under the UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience to clarify strengths and gaps.

Plant science researchers and the UConn Fire Department are using prescribed burns to mitigate brush fires and study the role of microbes in soil recovery to generate new insights to help Connecticut manage rising wildfire risk

Prescribed burning emerged as a critical component of the Western Australia’s fire strategy. Research showed that under severe weather, fuel older than five years in jarrah forests and seven years in karri forests could carry uncontrollable crown fires.

The article explores how the annual palolo worm spawning in the Pacific sustains Indigenous ecological calendars, cultural traditions, and climate resilience.

In the dry-season heat of northern Thailand, Hmong villagers zip through forested slopes, blasting tinder with leaf blowers and cutting through brush with machetes, while others scan for smoke on live feeds from their phones.

Indigenous communities are often the worst hit when major disasters strike. The support provided to Indigenous communities appears to be different to that available to non-Indigenous residents.

Respecting shared history can enhance the effectiveness of emergency response and recovery. Acknowledging Hawaiian traditions in public education can improve community engagement by connecting scientific information with community identity.

The article provides guidance on how to engage ethically and collaboratively with Indigenous Knowledge holders to support inclusive nature-based climate adaptation and biodiversity initiatives.

A new report argues that English-only climate science and disaster alerts are excluding most of the world, and putting Indigenous communities at greater risk.

Recognising the value of local knowledge, the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), in partnership with the World Bank, engaged JBA Global Resilience to deliver a risk-informed planning assignment to support climate-resilient neighbourhood development.

This study examines how flash floods threaten the heritage of Huizhou’s traditional covered bridges by analysing their vulnerability and identifying strategies to enhance their resilience.

Every year on 2 February, people around the globe come together to celebrate World Wetlands Day — an international moment to recognize and raise awareness about some of the planet’s most vital ecosystems: our freshwater and coastal wetlands.

SRSG Kamal Kishore shares some reflections on wildfire disasters, offering ten fundamentals for reducing wildfire risk.

The formative research examines community knowledge, care‑seeking practices, and communication preferences related to climate-sensitive diseases.

Communities are now fighting to reinvigorate taro cultivation because it’s more resilient to climate shocks: storms have led to the islands being cut off from food shipments, but those with healthy taro crops were able to feed themselves and others.

This first issue of the SOLKAS Newsletter highlights the powerful experiences of communities such as Santa Cruz, Kilokaka, and Central Province, communities that have embraced climate knowledge and turned it into practical action.

A University at Buffalo researcher has developed a framework to help scientists incorporate community input into Earth system models, tools that simulate climate as well as chemical and biological processes.

This paper details the development and implementation of Volcano Voices, an interactive mapping methodology designed to collect environmental data and disseminate research findings ethically within communities affected by natural hazards.

This study investigates how local knowledge, cultural practices, and institutional frameworks converge to shape adaptive strategies and resilience in the face of volcanic hazards.

The future of the Amazon may rely on its past. Portions of the forest managed by pre-Columbian populations hold higher biomass and are more able to withstand climate change.

Every year during December and January, in the Indian Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, rural communities carry out traditional burning on steep hill slopes to regenerate grass.

This study examines the declining use of indigenous knowledge (IK) in early warning systems for climate-related disasters in Malawi, drawing on qualitative data from four disaster-prone districts and national-level institutions.

A fire expert on the difference between prescribed burns and cultural burns, and why we should incorporate both into modern forest management.

This study draws on a growing body of global evidence, key informant interviews, and case studies, to explore practical models, enablers, and barriers for the systematic integration of LITK within early warning systems.

A Solomon Islands journalist and communications specialist talks about the importance of holding onto traditional knowledge, particularly on the outer islands.

The brief illustrates how the project is building climate-resilient, gender-responsive primary health care by integrating traditional ecological knowledge, strengthening health systems, and empowering vulnerable communities.

Despite spending millions on EWS and its implementation, there has been widespread lack of trust placed in it by a number of communities, due to frequent reports of malfunctioning of equipment and lack of follow-ups by the concerned agencies.

There is much for the world to learn from New Zealand’s approach to disaster risk reduction and post-disaster recovery, particularly in the depth of involvement of Indigenous communities.