Integration of traditional knowledge in policy for climate adaptation, displacement and migration in the Pacific
Vierros, M.; Ota, Y. (2019). Integration of traditional knowledge in policy for climate adaptation, displacement and migration in the Pacific, in: Cisneros-Montemayor, A.M. et al. Predicting future oceans: Sustainability of ocean and human systems amidst global environmental change. pp. 305-316. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-817945-1.00031-9
In: Cisneros-Montemayor, A.M.; Cheung, W.W.L.; Ota, Y. (Ed.) (2019). Predicting future oceans: Sustainability of ocean and human systems amidst global environmental change. Elsevier: Amsterdam. ISBN 978-0-12-817945-1. xxvii, 554 pp. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/c2018-0-02416-0, more
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| Abstract |
There is now high scientific certainty that global environmental change, including climate change, will impact the natural systems that coastal communities of the Pacific region depend on at a scale that they have not experienced before. Using case studies specific to coastal communities in the Pacific island nations and elsewhere, we demonstrate that adaptation policies and strategies that take into account of communities’ own knowledge, and build on the dynamics embedded in their social systems are likelier to succeed. Traditional knowledge is a part of many policy processes, including under the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Pacific Regional Ocean Policy, and has a role in assisting coastal communities in Pacific Island countries in responding to the impacts of climate change through the development of adaptation strategies and the maintenance of cultural integrity. It is not yet known whether traditional knowledge itself could adapt and keep pace with the forecasted rapid changes, including in the events of displacement and migration. Ultimately, we emphasize the importance of co-creation of knowledge, recognizing the value of both scientific and traditional knowledge equally, as the future policy direction for Pacific Islands. In doing so, we acknowledge that the relationship between island nations and their marine environment is deeply cultural, and goes beyond viewing the ocean as simply a source of food and other services. |
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