Indigenous knowledge and practice for climate change adaptation

Abstract

The evidence for the Anthropocene suggests that the first modernity is in trouble. Alternative socio-ecological relationships need to inform a second, sustainable modernity. Indigenous people, such as the Anangu of north-west South Australia, have learnt to manage risks and natural resources within the extreme environments of the Central Australian desert. Examples are drawn from 5 years of climate change adaptation research with Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara communities to highlight learning that could help to evolve adaptation of modernity to climate change. Management of landscapes, fire, water, heat and human mobility could all be informed by Indigenous knowledge in an era defined by rapid environmental change.