"Because your environment is looking after you": The role of local knowledge in climate change adaptation in the Cook Islands
Year: 2019
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Pacific Island countries, like the Cook Islands, are often considered to be extremely vulnerable to \nthe impacts of climate change. Changes in the frequency and intensity of climate-related hazards \nis expected to be one of many anticipated impacts of climate change in the Pacific Island region, \nhaving substantial implications for both climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk \nreduction (DRR) efforts. Considerable literature highlights that local and traditional knowledge \ncan play an important role in CCA and DRR, particularly in small island countries where \nvulnerability is unique and a long history of adapting to environmental change exists. However, \nthere is little understanding on how to practically integrate and apply local knowledge in CCA, \nparticularly in the Cook Islands. Through a comparative study between a core and periphery \nisland, the purpose of this research was to investigate the role of local knowledge in adaptation to \nclimate-related hazards in the Cook Islands. By employing qualitative research methods, \nincluding semi-structured interviews (n=34) with key informants and local participants, this \nresearch aimed to investigate the local adaptation strategies of Cook Islands communities to \nclimate-related hazards on Rarotonga and Mitiaro, explore the variability in knowledge between \na core (Rarotonga) and periphery (Mitiaro) island, understand the extent to which locals and \ngovernment officials feel local knowledge is being appropriately integrated into adaptation \npolicies, and determine some of the challenges to incorporating local knowledge into adaptation \npolicy. Findings reveal that while local participants had considerable knowledge on \nenvironmental changes and coping and adaptation strategies for climate-related hazards, this \nknowledge was often in the context of multiple stressors. Additionally, interviewees perceived a \nlarge variability in knowledge on local coping and adaptation strategies and the impacts of \nclimate change between Rarotonga and the outer islands. While key informants often recognized \nthe important role of local knowledge in CCA, there has been an emphasis on recording local \nknowledge and less focus on integrating it into policy. Lastly, many challenges to integrating \nlocal knowledge into CCA policy were identified including development pressure, out-migration, \na lack of understanding of local knowledge, religious influence, and uncertainty over the future \nuse of local knowledge. This study offers insight on the role of local knowledge in CCA for other \nsmall island countries facing similar challenges.
Source: UWSpace (University of Waterloo)
Author: Diamir de Scally
Language: English
Subfield: Anthropology
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2914716484