“We Might Go Back to This”; Drawing on the Past to Meet the Future in Northwestern North American Indigenous Communities

Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) systems are as important today for the survival and well-being of many indigenous peoples as they ever were. These ways of knowing have much to contribute at a time of marked climate change. As indigenous peoples have sustained exposure to natural resources and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecology and society 2013-01, Vol.18 (4), p.1002-1012, Article art29
Main Authors: Turner, Nancy, Spalding, Pamela R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation
applying indigenous knowledge
British Columbia
Canada
Climate change
Climate change adaptation
climate change planning
Coastal ecology
Ecological sustainability
Ecology
Environment
Forest ecology
Global warming
Human ecology
indigenous values
Insight
Knowledge
Marine ecology
Native peoples
Natural resources
Planners
Planning
resilience
traditional ecological knowledge
Traditional knowledge
Traditions
URLs
Weather
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Summary:Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) systems are as important today for the survival and well-being of many indigenous peoples as they ever were. These ways of knowing have much to contribute at a time of marked climate change. As indigenous peoples have sustained exposure to natural resources and phenomena in particular places over time, they are privy to the cumulative knowledge on the location and timing of a host of significant environmental events and processes. Not only do their intimate experiences of seasonal weather conditions, tides and currents, species, and environmental indicators contribute to a better understanding of the nature, rate, and intensity of climate change, but TEK systems can potentially contribute to more effective planning and decision making regarding resilience and adaptation to climate change. Furthermore, the values of respect and recognition of kinship with other species that are often embodied in these systems can serve to remind all of us about the imperative to conserve and protect these other species if we are to survive as humans. We identify some of the more obvious areas where TEK systems can provide important insights for climate change planners in British Columbia, Canada as well as some of the potential challenges to attempting to integrate TEK into mainstream planning for climate change.
ISSN:1708-3087
1708-3087
DOI:10.5751/ES-05981-180429