Facing weather and climate variability with indigenous knowledge
P.F. Lefale and D.N.T. King, NIWA
In the tropical southwest Pacific, measurements of weather and climate conditions by European scientists began in the late 1800s, with the first observing stations established in New Caledonia in 1863 and Samoa in 1890. Since then, scientific observations and research into understanding the weather and climate of the region have advanced at a rapid pace in line with the information and technological era. Despite these advances, however, there remain difficulties in forecasting weather and climate changes across time and space. General circulation models, for example, are often too coarse and far too expensive for many Pacific Islands to afford. These challenges have led to interest in local weather and climate knowledge developed by indigenous communities. Two recent projects carried out in New Zealand and Samoa, by Te Kuwaha (Maori Research Unit) of the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd (NIWA), and the NIWA climate programme, respectively, are part of a growing number of projects related to indigenous environmental knowledge of weather and climate.
The principal objective of these two projects was to examine and document traditional indigenous knowledge of weather and climate in New Zealand and Samoa and to report back to participating communities on the findings. Preliminary findings from these projects show that indigenous communities in New Zealand and Samoa have an intimate understanding of local weather and climate conditions. Birds, insects, plants, and other natural environmental changes are often used as indicators to monitor and forecast weather and climate conditions.
This knowledge has been used for hundreds of years by indigenous people and has been integral to their survival. Other forms of indigenous knowledge include the use of a vast nomenclature pertaining to weather and climate phenomena, as well as the oral recording of historical weather- and climate- based events and trends. Samoans and Maori also have their own seasonal calendars, based upon long-term observations of local environmental change.
From this local knowledge, opportunities exist to understand what has helped indigenous people to successfully adapt to climate variability in the past – particularly extreme events. This also provides clues on how adaptation strategies to climate variability and human induced climate change might be tailored in the future. However, it is not only at the local level that the applicability of indigenous knowledge is so valuable. Rather, when indigenous knowledge is used in conjunction with the information derived from western-eastern science, a strong basis for improved problem solving and decision making can emerge.
For further information on the two research projects, contact the authors at NIWA Auckland. Emails: [email protected], [email protected]