Traditional knowledge and practices are often extremely useful for communities because they provide solutions that are based on centuries of accumulated wisdom and are tailored to meet the needs of the local context. They can be combined with modern technologies and innovations to help conserve natural resources and ecosystems.

Here are three examples of tried and tested traditional (indigenous) practices. You can find out more about them from the sources listed in the reading box.

In all three examples you will see that the natural habitats and larger ecosystems in which the traditional communities live are conserved through practices that have been learned and passed on from one generation to the next. Biodiversity is conserved in Bangladesh through village conservation management; indigenous bamboo plants are used as food, animal fodder and construction materials in Nepal; and climate-smart management of marine protected areas is being used in tandem with traditional knowledge to plant salt-tolerant plant varieties in the Pacific Islands.

Information about these examples was drawn from United Nations Climate Change. (2022, 9 August), How Indigenous Peoples enrich climate action. https://unfccc.int/news/how-indigenous-peoples-enrich-climate-action. (Licence: Open access.)

Native tree planting in Nepal

Planting native trees promotes cultural values associated with forest stewardship and provides a way to increase carbon storage. Bamboo forests, for example, provide food and rural materials to rural households that depend on them for their livelihoods. Young bamboo shoots are used in cooking and making pickles and have high nutrient value. Some species of bamboo are used as fodder for calves. In eastern Nepal, bamboo is used for a variety of purposes, including building homes, hut walls and structures for storing grain; thatching; flooring; scaffolding; and making walking sticks, baskets, furniture, fences and tool handles (see Das, 2003, for more information).

Community-managed natural forests (or village common forests) in Bangladesh

These forests play a vital role in helping community members meet their daily needs and conserve local biodiversity. Village common forests are a source of fuel (wood), herbs, roots, bamboo shoots, wild fruits and vines or leaves for cooking or medicinal use, all of which are necessary to sustain the lives of the Indigenous communities in Bangladesh. This rich biocultural system has been in place for many centuries and is an excellent example of a natural resource management practice that combines the needs of humans with the needs of nature. It was made possible by traditional institutions governing the natural resources as common property based on social, cultural and religious beliefs. Traditionally the Indigenous communities in Bangladesh are relatively small (generally fewer than 100 families) and have strong social, cultural or religious connections. They are led by a variety of village elders or leaders (see Jashimuddin & Inoue, 2012, for more information).

Active revitalisation of traditional technologies connected to agriculture, aquaculture and natural resource management in the Pacific

This is a key strategy in efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change. Pacific Island ecosystems are being degraded by pollution, overfishing and unsustainable development. They also increasingly face severe impacts of climate change, including rising sea levels, changing temperatures and erratic rainfall patterns. These impacts cause changes in food and water security, loss of identity, climate-induced migration and threats to sovereignty. Communities in the region have responded by using climate adaptation strategies, often combining traditional practices and cutting-edge science, to build the resilience of their communities and ecosystems in the face of increasing risk of damage from climate change. For example, some communities are implementing resilient networks of marine protected areas. They are using the best available science and strengthening tribal governance to manage these networks, experimenting with salt- and drought-tolerant crops, revegetating coastlines with native salt-tolerant plants, revitalising traditional wells, and implementing climate-smart development plans (see Mcleod et al., 2019, for more information).

Reading

Das, A. N. (2003). Bamboos in rural farming systems in the Terai and Midhills of Nepal. Banko Janakari, 13(2), 34–41. https://doi.org/10.3126/banko.v13i2.17220

Jashimuddin, M., & Inoue, M. (2012). Management of village common forests in the Chittagong Hill tracts of Bangladesh: Historical background and current issues in terms of sustainability. Open Journal of Forestry, 2(3), 121-137. https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation.aspx?paperid=21082

Mcleod, E., Bruton-Adams, M., Förster, J., Franco, C., Gaines, G., Gorong, B., James, R., Posing-Kulwaum, G., Tara, M., & Terk, E. (2019). Lessons from the Pacific Islands: Adapting to climate change by supporting social and ecological resilience. Frontiers in Marine Science, 6(289). https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2019.00289