Applying traditional knowledge to resilience in coastal rural villages. (August 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chen, Tzu-Ling; Cheng, Hung-Wen
• Is Part Of: International journal of disaster risk reduction. Volume 47(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-08
• Subjects: Climate change -- Resilience -- Local and indigenous knowledge -- Rural village; Emergency management -- Periodicals; Risk management -- Periodicals; Disaster relief -- Periodicals; Hazard mitigation -- Periodicals; 363.34
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2020.101564
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2212-4209

Abstract

Abstract: The Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) pointed out that since 1950, observations of various aspects of the climate system have revealed many changes in extreme weather events. Global climate change has increased both the intensity and frequency of disaster events, causing serious impacts worldwide. Because most people and economic activities are clustered in urban areas, most studies focus on how to enhance the resilience of urban areas, often overlooking the practicable resilience in rural areas, especially in radically different areas, such as coastal and alpine areas. There should be a fundamentally different resilience approaches in areas with low population densities, weak institutional capacities, and limited financial feasibility. The application of local and indigenous knowledge as an adaptation strategy for climate change to achieve the goal of balance between humans and nature has also received considerable attention. Therefore, this study applied in-depth interviews in the coastal rural village of Guogou in Taiwan. The results showed that practices utilizing local and indigenous knowledge have helped locals effectively mitigate the impacts of disasters and encouraged residents to live in areas with high flood exposure. Overall, the application of local and indigenous knowledge in such rural areas might be a possible solution to enhance local resilience.