For centuries Indigenous peoples' have been adapting to climate variability and change. I am interested in exploring how indigenous people add alternative knowledge to climate adaptation research, practice and informing policy.  Creating baselines and terms of reference stemming from traditional knowledge is valuable for future resource management in all societies. How science and indigenous and/or local knowledges complement one another and add to and inform climate change adaptation planning and practice at different scales is important for equitable and efficient future adaptation.  

 

The key focus of my research has been examining locally developed practices of resource monitoring and use, traditional governance in the pacific, aboriginal cultural beliefs and systems. How traditional knowledge shapes world views and responses to varying climate is important when considering future climate change actions.  

 

Key areas of focus: 

 

• Seasonal calendars and observations of indigenous people 

• Traditional governance systems in the Pacific 

• Talanoa and exchange of Indigenous and local knowledge  

• Belief systems, values and spirituality 

• Importance of reciprocity in indigenous, traditional, and local knowledge systems

 

Such research is cross-cutting, participatory, and emphasises the different knowledge systems, most notably Indigenous knowledge, local knowledge, and scientific knowledge, are used by societies as a means natural resources and environmental risks. Research projects examines the ways in which co-design and co-production of new knowledge for environmental problems can be advanced, and the emerging frameworks and approaches used within Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, Vanuatu, and Samoa. This includes examination of the governance structures and management approaches that allow for people who hold different types of knowledge to work together to address complex and dynamic environmental problems. This includes critical attention to the ontological and epistemological differences between Indigenous and Western Scientific Knowledge systems.