The purpose of this exchange, organized by the UNU Institute for Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS) Traditional Knowledge Initiative and held 7–8 August 2008 in Gulkula, Australia, was to facilitate international collaboration on the relationship between indigenous water knowledge and indigenous interests in water. Particular attention was given to issues and opportunities arising from emerging water trading and water property rights regimes and the increasing recognition by western science of the value of traditional knowledge for natural resource management. The exchange focused on case studies from various regions of the world and outputs included a case studies compilation as well a statement and recommendations presented to the World Water Forum in 2009.
Focus areas:
Capacity building
Regions covered:
Global
Participating entities:
UNU-IAS Traditional Knowledge Initiative
Non-UN partners:
North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA), Yothu Yindi Foundation
The IPCC has identified local knowledge as an important missing element in its previous assessments and a focus for its next assessment process. The UNU-IAS Traditional Knowledge Initiative looks at this important area.
GEIC is a joint initiative between the United Nations University and the Minstry of the Environment, Japan.
Links
On 7 December 2009, the international community will gather at a conference in Copenhagen to try to find a solution to the gravest danger our planet faces: climate change.
Global Dashboard, edited by David Steven and Alex Evans, offers insightful analysis of vital issues including climate change, the food crisis, and human security. Be sure to read their article Climate Change: The State of the Debate(PDF).
