Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Website: www.ilo.org Website: Email: [email protected] +41227996730 Tel: Switzerland CH-1211 Geneva22 4, routedesMorillons International LabourOrganization(ILO) andEqualityDepartment Conditions ofWork EqualityandDiversity &ILOAIDSBranch Gender, 9 ISBN 978-92-2-132935-0 78 9221 329350 ILO Indigenous peoples and climate change - Emerging Research on Traditional Knowledge and Livelihoods In collaborationwith: Knowledge andLivelihoods Emerging ResearchonTraditional and climatechange Indigenous peoples Convention 169 Convention 30 years Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change: Emerging Research on Traditional Knowledge and Livelihoods Gender, Equality and Diversity & ILOAIDS Branch Copyright © International Labour Organization 2019 First published (2019) Publications of the International Labour Office enjoy copyright under Protocol 2 of the Universal Copyright Convention. Nevertheless, short excerpts from them may be reproduced without authorization, on condi- tion that the source is indicated. For rights of reproduction or translation, application should be made to ILO Publications (Rights and Licensing), International Labour Office, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland, or by email: [email protected]. The International Labour Office welcomes such applications. Libraries, institutions and other users registered with a reproduction rights organization may make copies in accordance with the licences issued to them for this purpose. Visit www.ifrro.org to find the reproduction rights organization in your country. Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change: Emerging Research on Traditional Knowledge and Livelihoods ISBN: 978-92-2-132935-0 (print) ISBN: 978-92-2-132936-7 (web pdf) 4.08 ILO Cataloguing in Publication Data The designations employed in ILO publications, which are in conformity with United Nations practice, and the presentation of material therein do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the International Labour Office concerning the legal status of any country, area or territory or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers. The responsibility for opinions expressed in signed articles, studies and other contributions rests solely with their authors, and publication does not constitute an endorsement by the International Labour Office of the opinions expressed in them. Reference to names of firms and commercial products and processes does not imply their endorsement by the International Labour Office, and any failure to mention a particular firm, commercial product or process is not a sign of disapproval. Information on ILO publications and digital products can be found at: www.ilo.org/publns. This publication was produced by the Document and Publications Production, Printing and Distribution Branch (PRODOC) of the ILO. Graphic and typographic design, layout and composition, printing, electronic publishing and distribution. PRODOC endeavours to use paper sourced from forests managed in an environmentally sustainable and socially responsible manner. Code: DTP-BIP-REP-THAI Preface The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change have reinvigorated the international community’s commitments towards an inclusive and environ- mentally sustainable form of development. Indigenous and tribal peoples have an important role to play in realizing the ambitious goals of these global frameworks and meaningfully combatting climate change. Their traditional knowledge, which cuts across numerous aspects of sustain- ability and resilience – from forecasting weather patterns, improving agricultural practices, to customary institutions for improved management of natural resources – has increasingly gained recognition at the international level as a vital way forward. The practice of traditional knowledge in the everyday lives of indigenous women and men is yet to be adequately understood, however, with many research gaps confronting policy-makers. Prominent among these is an understanding of the interplay of traditional knowledge systems, rooted in indigenous ways of life, cultural approaches and traditional occupations, with the transformations being experienced in societies, economies, institutions, technologies and the climate. As the ILO celebrates its Centenary, as well as the 30th anniversary of the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169), this publication shares some glimpses into traditional knowledge at work, against a backdrop of the multiple transformations underway. It highlights the unique role played by indigenous women and men in shaping a low-carbon economy and a sustainable future of work. It builds on the ILO’s previous work on traditional occupations as well as indigenous peoples and climate change, and takes forward the ILO’s strategy on indigenous peoples’ rights for inclusive and sustainable development. The ILO has been supporting traditional livelihood activities among indigenous peoples, which are largely based on a unique relationship with their lands and natural resources. The ILO also promotes new forms of income generation, if so chosen by the communities, including through supporting community contracting mecha- nisms, entrepreneurship, small businesses and cooperatives. A collaboration between the ILO and the School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, this publication draws on recent and emerging research conducted directly with com- munities across Asia and the Pacific, Africa, and the Americas. In so doing, it aims to bridge the academic and policy worlds, sharing the experiences gained by researchers and the communities themselves with policy-makers and key stakeholders, including trade unions, employers’ organi- zations and governments. This publication seeks to inspire greater discussion and research in the field of traditional knowledge, seen through the dual lens of the world of work and social justice. Shauna Olney Professor Heather Viles Chief Head of School Gender, Equality and Diversity & ILOAIDS Branch School of Geography and the Environment International Labour Organization University of Oxford III Contents Preface ........................................................ III Acknowledgements .............................................. VII Abstracts ...................................................... IX 1. Introduction .................................................. 1 By Rishabh Kumar Dhir (ILO) and Ariell Ahearn (University of Oxford) 2. Surviving Extreme Weather: Mongolian indigenous knowledge, local institutions and governance innovations for adaptation ............... 9 By Ariell Ahearn (University of Oxford) 3. Traditional water management as an adaptive subsistence practice: A case study from coastal Timor-Leste ............................. 21 By Vanessa Burns (University of Oxford) 4. The role of customary institutions in climate change adaptation among Afar pastoralists in north-eastern Ethiopia ............. 35 By Mulubrhan Balehegn (Mekelle University) and Selam Balehey (Mekelle University) 5. Witsaja iki, or the good life in Ecuadorian Amazonia: Knowledge co-production for climate resilience ....................... 51 By Seble Samuel (CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security) 6. Seeing like the herder: Climate change and pastoralists’ knowledge – insights from Turkana herders in northern Kenya ............ 65 By Greta Semplici (University of Oxford) 7. The revitalization of shamanic health care in Suriname .................. 83 By Daniel Cooper (University of Oxford) 8. Pastoralist journalists: Producing reports, knowledge, and policy from the pastures ..................................... 97 By Allison Hahn (City University of New York) 9. Augmented realities: The digital economy of indigenous knowledge ........107 By Daniel Cooper (University of Oxford) and Nina Kruglikova (University of Oxford) 10. Sustaining and preserving the traditional knowledge and institutions of indigenous communities: Reflections on the way forward .............121 By Uma Rani (ILO) and Martin Oelz (ILO) V Acknowledgements This publication has been prepared through a collaboration between the International Labour Organization (Gender, Equality and Diversity & ILO AIDS Branch of the Conditions of Work and Equality Department) and the School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford. The edited volume (or compendium of case studies) was envisioned and prepared by Ariell Ahearn (University of Oxford), Martin Oelz (ILO) and Rishabh Kumar Dhir (ILO). It benefited from studies by Vanessa Burns (University of Oxford); Mulubrhan Balehegn (Mekelle University); Selam Balehey (Mekelle University); Seble Samuel (CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security); Greta Semplici (University of Oxford); Allison Hahn (City University of New York); Daniel Cooper (University of Oxford); Nina Kruglikova (University of Oxford); and Ariell Ahearn (University of Oxford). Special thanks to Uma Rani (ILO) for reflecting on the studies and contributing towards the concluding remarks, and also to Professor Dawn Chatty for facilitating the engagement between the ILO and the University of Oxford. The publication further benefited from the English language editing by Richard Cook and his team. Special thanks also to Professor Heather Viles for her support for the publication. Finally, the publication would not have been possible without the encouragement of Shauna Olney, Chief, GED&ILOAIDS Branch, and Manuela Tomei, Director of the Conditions of Work and