Cover Weather, Climate, and Society
Weather, Climate, and Society

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Editorial Type:
Article
Article Type:
Research Article

Indigenous Knowledge for Environmental Prediction in the Pacific Island Countries

Savin S. Chand1, Lynda E. Chambers2, Mike Waiwai3, Philip Malsale3, and Elisabeth Thompson4
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  • 1 School of Science, Information Technology and Engineering, Federation University, Mt. Helen Campus, Ballarat, Australia
  • | 2 Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research, and Climate and Oceans Support Program in the Pacific, Bureau of Meteorology, Melbourne, Australia
  • | 3 Climate Services Division, Vanuatu Meteorological and Geo-Science Department, Port Vila, Vanuatu
  • | 4 Climate and Oceans Support Program in the Pacific, Bureau of Meteorology, Melbourne, Australia
Print Publication:
01 Oct 2014
Collections:
Ways of Knowing: Traditional Knowledge as Key Insight for Addressing Environmental Change
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/WCAS-D-13-00053.1
Page(s):
445–450
Restricted access

Abstract

Indigenous people in Pacific Island countries (PICs) often use their knowledge of the environment, acquired through generations of holistic observational practices and experimental learning, to make meteorological forecasts. Such knowledge systems are now recognized by several institutions, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, as an important participatory forecast approach for decision making, particularly at a farm level. In this article, the authors show that indigenous knowledge of weather and seasonal climate forecasting is a crucial component of a potential strategy for making farming-related decisions and reducing vulnerability to environmental hazards.

Corresponding author address: Savin S. Chand, School of Science, Information Technology and Engineering, Federation University, PO Box 663, Ballarat, VIC, 3353, Australia. E-mail: s.chand@federation.edu.au

This article is included in the Ways of Knowing special collection.

Abstract

Indigenous people in Pacific Island countries (PICs) often use their knowledge of the environment, acquired through generations of holistic observational practices and experimental learning, to make meteorological forecasts. Such knowledge systems are now recognized by several institutions, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, as an important participatory forecast approach for decision making, particularly at a farm level. In this article, the authors show that indigenous knowledge of weather and seasonal climate forecasting is a crucial component of a potential strategy for making farming-related decisions and reducing vulnerability to environmental hazards.

Corresponding author address: Savin S. Chand, School of Science, Information Technology and Engineering, Federation University, PO Box 663, Ballarat, VIC, 3353, Australia. E-mail: s.chand@federation.edu.au

This article is included in the Ways of Knowing special collection.

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