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- Permanent Link:
- http://dpanther.fiu.edu/dpService/dpPurlService/purl/FI13022760/00001
Notes
- Summary:
- This publication advocates for the incorporation of indigenous knowledge into disaster risk reduction (DRR) efforts. It highlights a number of indigenous practices developed throughout the Asia-Pacific region to show how DRR can be transforming into a bottom-up approach by taking into account community knowledge’s potential to inform policy. Thousands of years before the existence of DRR as a concept, local communities across the world were already developing their own means of avoiding, preparing for, and responding to disasters. Many of these coping strategies were passed down from generation to generation through various traditions and customs, infused with the intimate understandings of the local environment. According to this publication, the sustainability of DRR is dependent on its ability to integrate local culture, knowledge, and indigenous practices into its strategies. It offers four reasons why such knowledge should be a central component of DRR. First, many practices found locally to deal with disaster can be shared across communities facing similar vulnerabilities and risks. Second, elevating the role of indigenous knowledge facilitates community participation and increases ownership. Third, it increases knowledge about the community, its vulnerabilities, risks, and capacities. And lastly, the seamless way in which indigenous knowledge permeates the habits of a community can be powerful means to disseminate behaviors and practices promoted by DRR advocates. This document presents 18 indigenous practices that protect communities against disaster throughout the Asia-Pacific region. For each there is a short abstract, information about the community, the specific knowledge and how it was utilized to avoid or mitigate the impact of disaster, and the particular lesson that can be taken away from the case. The authors acknowledge that the concept of indigenous knowledge may be problematic in terms of its definition or attributes. To address this issue, it suggests that only indigenous knowledge that has a general applicability should be incorporated into DRR efforts. It calls for greater emphasis on rural development, because often such knowledge is preserved amongst these most neglected communities. Lastly, the publication advocates for greater gender inclusiveness in DRR initiatives, because often traditional communities preserve discriminatory social practices that exclude women from public life, restricting their ability to participate in efforts to reduce risk and increase community capacity despite their central societal roles. ( English,English,English,English,French,English )
- Subject:
- Social
- Subject:
- Sociology
- Subject:
- Anthropology
- Subject:
- General Risk Reduction
- Scope and Content:
- Foreword p. iii; Preface p. v; Introduction p. vii; China: Karez Technology for Drought Disaster Reduction in China. Weihua Fang, Fei He, Jingning Cai and Peijun Shi p. 1; India: Earthquake Safe Traditional House Construction Practices in Kashmir. Amir Ali Khan p. 5; India: Indigenous Knowledge and Modern Science Give Environment Friendly Shelter Solution in Flood Affected Desert Region of India. Anshu Sharma and Mihir Joshi p. 9; India: Soil and Water Conservation through Bamboo Plantation: A Disaster Management Technique Adopted by the People of Nandeswar, Assam. Irene Stephen, Rajiv Dutta Chowdhury and Debashish Nath p. 14; Indonesia: Legend, Ritual and Architecture on the Ring of Fire. Koen Meyers and Puteri Watson p. 17; Japan: Traditional Flood Disaster Reduction Measures in Japan. Yukiko Takeuchi and Rajib Shaw p. 23; Mongolia: Indigenous Knowledge for Disaster Risk Reduction of the Shiver Herder
Community. Bolormaa Borkhuu p. 27; Nepal: Indigenous Knowledge on Disaster Mitigation: Towards Creating Complementarity between Communities’ and Scientists’ Knowledge. Man B. Thapa, Youba Raj Luintel, Bhupendra Gauchan and Kiran Amatya p. 30; Nepal/Pakistan: Local Knowledge on Flood Preparedness: Examples from Nepal and Pakistan. Julie Dekens p. 35; Pakistan: Indigenous Coping Mechanisms for Disaster Management in Mansehra and Battagram Districts, North West Frontier Province (NWFP), Pakistan. Takeshi Komino p. 41; Papua New Guinea: Living with Floods in Singas, Papua New Guinea. Jessica Mercer and Ilan Kelman p. 46; Philippines: Combining Indigenous and Scientific Knowledge in the Dagupan City Flood Warning System. Lorna P. Victoria p. 52; Philippines: Indigenous Know-How on Mayon Volcano’s Lava-Spittle Mysticism. Gerardine Cerdena p. 55; Philippines: Shaped by Wind and Typhoon: The Indigenous Knowledge of the Ivatans in the Batanes Islands, Philippines. Noralene Uy and Rajib Shaw p. 59; Solomon Islands: Indigenous Knowledge Saved Lives during 2007 Solomon Islands Tsunami. Brian G. McAdoo, Jennifer Baumwoll and Andrew Moore p. 64; Sri Lanka: Village Tank Cascade Systems: A Traditional Approach to Drought Mitigation and Rural Well-being in the Purana Villages of Sri Lanka. C.M. Madduma Bandara p. 68; Thailand: Saved by an Old Legend and a Keen Observation: The Case of Moken Sea Nomads in Thailand. Narumon Arunotai p. 73; Vietnam: Weather Forecasting through Indigenous Knowledge for Crop Cultivation in the Drought Prone Area of Vietnam. Nguyen Ngoc Huy and Rajib Shaw p. 79
- Citation/Reference:
- Shaw, R. Uy, N., Baumwoll, J. (2008). “Indigenous knowledge for disaster risk reduction: good practices and lessons learned from experiences in the Asia-Pacific region. United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), Kyoto University, European Union.
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- Florida International University
- Rights Management:
- Refer to main document/publisher for use rights.
- Resource Identifier:
- FI13022760
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