"Because your environment is looking after you": The role of local knowledge in climate change adaptation in the Cook Islands
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Date
2019-01-23
Authors
de Scally, Diamir
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Waterloo
Abstract
Pacific Island countries, like the Cook Islands, are often considered to be extremely vulnerable to
the impacts of climate change. Changes in the frequency and intensity of climate-related hazards
is expected to be one of many anticipated impacts of climate change in the Pacific Island region,
having substantial implications for both climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk
reduction (DRR) efforts. Considerable literature highlights that local and traditional knowledge
can play an important role in CCA and DRR, particularly in small island countries where
vulnerability is unique and a long history of adapting to environmental change exists. However,
there is little understanding on how to practically integrate and apply local knowledge in CCA,
particularly in the Cook Islands. Through a comparative study between a core and periphery
island, the purpose of this research was to investigate the role of local knowledge in adaptation to
climate-related hazards in the Cook Islands. By employing qualitative research methods,
including semi-structured interviews (n=34) with key informants and local participants, this
research aimed to investigate the local adaptation strategies of Cook Islands communities to
climate-related hazards on Rarotonga and Mitiaro, explore the variability in knowledge between
a core (Rarotonga) and periphery (Mitiaro) island, understand the extent to which locals and
government officials feel local knowledge is being appropriately integrated into adaptation
policies, and determine some of the challenges to incorporating local knowledge into adaptation
policy. Findings reveal that while local participants had considerable knowledge on
environmental changes and coping and adaptation strategies for climate-related hazards, this
knowledge was often in the context of multiple stressors. Additionally, interviewees perceived a
large variability in knowledge on local coping and adaptation strategies and the impacts of
climate change between Rarotonga and the outer islands. While key informants often recognized
the important role of local knowledge in CCA, there has been an emphasis on recording local
knowledge and less focus on integrating it into policy. Lastly, many challenges to integrating
local knowledge into CCA policy were identified including development pressure, out-migration,
a lack of understanding of local knowledge, religious influence, and uncertainty over the future
use of local knowledge. This study offers insight on the role of local knowledge in CCA for other
small island countries facing similar challenges.
Description
Keywords
climate change adaptation, local knowledge, Pacific Islands, Cook Islands, adaptation policy