When it comes to keeping the impacts of disaster at bay, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel—in fact, incorporating old wisdom can keep even efforts on track according to a just-released report from the United Nations’ International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.
The report, called Indigenous Knowledge for Disaster Risk Reduction: Good Practices and Lessons Learned from Experiences in the Asia-Pacific Region, looks at 18 examples of how indigenous strategies, oral traditions, and adaptation have reduced disaster risk. Incorporating indigenous techniques—often characterized by self-sufficiency, natural knowledge, and informal but effective dissemination—in disaster reduction strategies can lead to more robust and well-received efforts and a better understanding of local threats and how to address them, according to the report.
From earthquake-safe traditional buildings in Kashmir to flood preparedness in Pakistan, the study provides specific cases and lessons learned from cultures independent of modern technology. The full report is available online.
Jolie Breeden is the lead editor and science communicator for Natural Hazards Center publications. She writes and edits for Research Counts; the Quick Response, Mitigation Matters, Public Health, and Weather Ready Research Award report series; as well as for special projects and publications. Breeden graduated summa cum laude from the University of Colorado Boulder with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.