How Local People Use Their Indigenous Knowledge to Respond to Floods and Droughts: A Case Study of Tonle Sap Lake Community, Cambodia

10.26686/wgtn.17145953 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Sopheak Seng

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Indigenous Knowledge ◽

Local Communities ◽

Adaptation Strategies ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Local Livelihoods ◽

Lake Region ◽

Tonle Sap Lake ◽

Tonle Sap ◽

Floods And Droughts

This thesis investigates the impacts of floods and droughts in the Tonle Sap Lake region and examines to what extent the local communities’ indigenous knowledge (IK) is used to deal with floods and droughts. The thesis begins by exploring the Tonle Sap Lake communities’ perceptions of climate change, especially floods and droughts and their impacts on local livelihoods. It then examines how the communities have used their IK to develop livelihood adaptation methods to cope with floods and droughts. To conduct this study, a qualitative methodology was adopted using semi-structured interviews, and non-participant and unstructured observation as the main methods. The semi-structured interviews were conducted with local people and local authorities from two communities, and NGO staff. The study found that the intensity of floods and droughts in the Tonle Sap Lake region has increased in the last few years. Floods and droughts have threatened local livelihoods and food security. To mitigate the effects of floods and droughts, the local communities in this region have developed various livelihood adaptation strategies to adapt to the hazards. The communities appeared to use both IK and technologies for their adaptation strategies. IK is seen as an invaluable local community asset in developing livelihood adaptation methods. Although a mixture of IK and new knowledge has been used to develop various adaptation strategies, the sufficiency of the adaptation is still limited. The current severity of climate change is seen to limit the local communities’ response capacities. To strengthen the communities’ adaptation capacity, contribution and involvement from non-governmental organisations and the government in developing climate change adaptation policy at a local level are essential.

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Contrasting Perspectives Regarding Climate Risks and Adaptation Strategies in the New York Metropolitan Area after Superstorm Sandy

Journal of Extreme Events ◽

10.1142/s2345737614500055 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 01 (01) ◽

pp. 1450005 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Stephanie Miller ◽

Griffin Kidd ◽

Franco Montalto ◽

Patrick Gurian ◽

Cortney Worrall ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

New York ◽

Adaptation Strategies ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Strong Impact ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Superstorm Sandy ◽

Climate Risks ◽

York Metropolitan Area

The purpose of this study was to examine stakeholder perceptions of climate change and local adaptation strategies in the New York City area. A side-by-side comparison of expert and resident opinions provided a clear picture of the region's climate change attitude in the year following Superstorm Sandy. Semi-structured interviews with regional environmental experts provided material for a structured survey, which was then distributed to 100 experts and 250 residents in coastal NY and northern NJ counties. In the survey both stakeholder groups were asked to choose the top three climate threats to the NYC region and rate adaptation and mitigation strategies on a 1–5 Likert scale regarding their ability to protect the region and their cost-effectiveness. Results show that experts and residents agree that sea level rise, coastal flooding and storm surge, and an increased frequency and intensity of extreme events pose the greatest threats to NYC over the next 25 years. While both groups showed a preference for long-term planning over immediate action, experts and residents could not agree on which specific strategies would best serve the region. The aftermath of Superstorm Sandy had a strong impact on both the expert and resident opinions and efforts to monitor stakeholder opinions continue.

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Indigenous knowledge and climate change adaptation in Africa: a systematic review.

CAB Reviews Perspectives in Agriculture Veterinary Science Nutrition and Natural Resources ◽

10.1079/pavsnnr202116029 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (029) ◽

Author(s):

Emmanuel Nyadzi

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Indigenous Knowledge ◽

Climate Change Adaptation ◽

Management Practices ◽

Adaptation Strategies ◽

Urban Migration ◽

Adaptation Measures ◽

Climate Services ◽

Definition Of ◽

Climate Change Adaptation Strategies

Abstract Indigenous people are often considered victims of climate change impact rather than agents of adaptation. Emerging studies in Africa have shifted the attention to indigenous knowledge (IK) to support the development of effective climate change adaptation strategies. This study adopted a systematic literature review methodology to analyse the following: (i) characterization of IK, (ii) potential of IK for knowledge co-production, (iii) IK for climate change causes and impact identification, (iv) IK for formulating and implementing climate change interventions, and (v) documentation and conservation of IK as a resource for climate change adaptation. Results show that there is no consensus on the definition of IK. However, certain identical elements in the available definitions are relevant for contextualization. IK has been useful in the formulation of different climate change adaptation strategies: management practices, early warning, and risk and disaster management. IK has the potential for knowledge co-production relevant for developing robust adaptation measures. Weather and climate services remain a critical area where IK and scientific knowledge (SK) are integrated to enhance forecast reliability and acceptability for local communities. IK is disappearing because of modernization and rural-urban migration, changing landscape and shifting religious beliefs. We suggest the need for more research into the complexity of the IK, proper documentation and storage of IK, and developing effective approaches to integrate IK with SK such that it is well received among researchers and policymakers. While doing this, it is important to maintain the unique features that distinguish IK from other forms of knowledge.

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Assessing Climate Change Impacts on River Flows in the Tonle Sap Lake Basin, Cambodia

Water ◽

10.3390/w11030618 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 618 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Chantha Oeurng ◽

Thomas Cochrane ◽

Sarit Chung ◽

Mathias Kondolf ◽

Thanapon Piman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

General Circulation ◽

Rapid Development ◽

Dry Season ◽

Freshwater Ecosystem ◽

Lake Basin ◽

River Flows ◽

Water Flows ◽

Tonle Sap Lake ◽

Tonle Sap

The Tonle Sap is the most fertile and diverse freshwater ecosystem in Southeast Asia, receiving nurturing water flows from the Mekong and its immediate basin. In addition to rapid development in the Tonle Sap basin, climate change may threaten natural flow patterns that sustain its diversity. The impacts of climate change on river flows in 11 sub-basins contributing to the Tonle Sap Lake were assessed using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model to quantify the potential magnitude of future hydrological alterations. Projected river flows from three General Circulation Models (GFDL-CM3, GISS-E2-R-CC and IPSL-CM5A-MR) for three time horizons (2030s, 2060s and 2090s) indicate a likely decrease in both the wet and dry season flows. The mean annual projected flow reductions range from 9 to 29%, 10 to 35% and 7 to 41% for the 2030s, 2060s and 2090s projections, respectively. Moreover, a decrease in extreme river flows (Q5 and Q95) was also found, which implies there could be a decline in flood magnitudes and an increase in drought occurrences throughout the basin. The results of this study provide insight for water resources planning and adaptation strategies for the river ecosystems during the dry season, when water flows are projected to decrease.

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ENDOGENOUS PERCEPTIONS AND MEASURES FOR AGROPASTORALISTS’ ADAPTATION IN THE SAHELIAN AREA OF BURKINA FASO

International Journal of Research -GRANTHAALAYAH ◽

10.29121/granthaalayah.v7.i10.2019.377 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (10) ◽

pp. 62-74

Author(s):

Sanou Daouda ◽

Toe Bernadette ◽

Traore Almamy ◽

Kabore Adama ◽

Tamboura H. Hamidou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Burkina Faso ◽

Local Adaptation ◽

Temporal Evolution ◽

Meteorological Data ◽

Secondary Data ◽

Adaptation Strategies ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Pastoral Production ◽

Livestock Farmers

The study was conducted to understand the perceptions and local adaptation strategies of rural sahelian communities in Burkina Faso to climate change on ruminant rearing practices. For this purpose, the study was carried out in the rural commune of Bani by collecting primary from semi-structured interviews with 143 producers and secondary data of temperature, rainfall and their spatial and temporal evolution from 2005 to 2016. Analysis of these data reveals that 67.13% of the producers are male and 32.86% female, with an average age of 55 ± 0.3 years. These respondents were agropastoralists with an average of 3.5 ha of cultivated land, using traditional seeds (100% of respondents) and improved seeds (58.7%) and rearing local breeds of ruminants. For climate change, respondents notified an increase in temperature and a decrease in rainfall that corroborates the analysis of the meteorological data collected. The consequences of climate change on livestock farmers' resources are food insecurity, lack of pasture, drought and low animal productivity. The local adaptation strategies applied by livestock farmers are the diversification of agro-sylvo-pastoral production (88.11%) and income-generating activities (70%). In the study area, diversification is the strategy adopted by agro-pastoralists to ensure food security and provide income to meet the daily needs of families.

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Living with climate change: avoiding conflict through adaptation in Malawi

Earth System Dynamics Discussions ◽

10.5194/esdd-6-2417-2015 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 2417-2445

Author(s):

H. Jørstad ◽

C. Webersik

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Human Security ◽

Global South ◽

Local Communities ◽

Adaptation Strategies ◽

Resource Base ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Temperature And Precipitation ◽

Impacts Of Climate Change

Abstract. In recent years, research on climate change and human security has received much attention among policy makers and academia alike. Communities in the Global South that rely on an intact resource base will especially be affected by predicted changes in temperature and precipitation. The objective of this article is to better understand under what conditions local communities can adapt to anticipated impacts of climate change and avoid conflict over the loss of resources. The empirical part of the paper answers the question to what extent local communities in the Chilwa Basin in Malawi have experienced climate change and how they are affected by it. Further, it assesses one of Malawi's adaptation projects designed to build resilience to a warmer and more variable climate, and points to some of its limitations. This research shows that not all adaptation strategies are suited to cope with a warmer and more variable climate.

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Sustainability of Climate Change Adaptation Strategies: Experiences from Eastern Ghana

Environmental Management and Sustainable Development ◽

10.5296/emsd.v5i2.9845 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 84 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Frank Kwaku Agyei

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Climate Adaptation ◽

Low Cost ◽

Adaptation Strategy ◽

Adaptation Strategies ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Farming Communities ◽

Climate Risks ◽

Short Rotation ◽

Low Cost Strategy

Climate change risks are wide spread, and they are transforming the socio-environmental infrastructure of economic development. Whether they are included or not in the development of national adaptation strategies, rural populations continue to employ diverse climate adaptation strategies to withstand climate induced vulnerabilities inimical to their livelihoods. Using the case of farming communities in Eastern Ghana and through semi-structured interviews, this article addresses the questions: which climate risks confront farmers, what are farmers’ adaptation choices, and which adaptation strategies are sustainable and why? The paper argues that farmers use range of adaptation strategies to minimize climate risks. Nevertheless, some strategies do not sustain the anticipated positive outcomes. Local choices of adaptation strategies were skewed towards advancing general income, and poorly promoted healthy ecological systems. Farmers’ choices of climate strategies were based on, among others, personal intuition or historical experience, knowledge of strategies, and availability of resources to implement a particular strategy: sustainability measures weakly influenced selections. Short rotation and mixed species cropping, farming at several locations, and drought tolerant crop varieties were sustainable initiatives to farmers. The main qualities of successful initiatives were low cost strategy, economic equity, and flexibility to precipitation and temperature. Climate adaptation strategy can be sustainable if it is less costly to establish, and flexible to places and seasons.

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