MEV 025: Unit 02 – Climate change and indigenous communities

UNIT 2: CLIMATE CHANGE AND INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES

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2.1 Introduction

Indigenous communities around the world have coexisted with nature for centuries, maintaining deep ecological knowledge and sustainable practices. However, they are among the most vulnerable to climate change despite contributing the least to its causes. Rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and ecosystem degradation disrupt indigenous livelihoods, cultural identity, and traditional knowledge systems. This unit explores the relationship between indigenous peoples and the environment, focusing on their struggles, environmental justice, and the value of indigenous knowledge in climate change adaptation and mitigation.

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2.2 Objectives

• To understand the unique challenges faced by indigenous communities due to climate change.
• To recognize the concept of environmental identity and justice from an indigenous perspective.
• To explore the role of indigenous environmental knowledge in climate change response.
• To study case examples highlighting traditional ecological practices and their relevance today.

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2.3 Struggle of Indigenous People

Indigenous peoples face multifaceted struggles in the context of climate change, including:

• Loss of traditional lands and biodiversity: Melting glaciers, rising seas, and desertification threaten their territories.
• Marginalization: Many indigenous communities are excluded from policy processes affecting their lands.
• Cultural erosion: Environmental degradation disrupts ceremonies, rituals, and oral traditions tied to nature.
• Economic vulnerability: Their dependence on subsistence agriculture, fishing, or pastoralism makes them sensitive to climate variability.

Despite these challenges, indigenous movements continue to assert their rights and call for recognition of their role in climate stewardship.

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2.4 Environmental Identity

Environmental identity refers to the connection people feel with the natural environment, which shapes their values, practices, and cultural expression. For indigenous communities:

• The environment is not separate from identity—it is foundational.
• Plants, animals, rivers, and landscapes are often personified in myths and spiritual beliefs.
• Environmental degradation is experienced not only as a material loss but also as a cultural and emotional disconnection.

Environmental identity thus serves as both a motivation for environmental activism and a framework for understanding ecological change.

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2.5 Environmental Justice

Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people in environmental policymaking, regardless of race, income, or background. In the case of indigenous peoples:

• Environmental justice involves recognizing historical injustices, such as colonization, land dispossession, and resource exploitation.
• Indigenous communities demand recognition of land rights, free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC), and equitable access to resources.
• Climate justice initiatives must be inclusive of indigenous voices and knowledge.

Indigenous-led environmental justice movements highlight the interdependence of human rights, ecological protection, and cultural survival.

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2.6 Indigenous Environmental Knowledge and Climate Change

Indigenous knowledge, often passed orally across generations, includes detailed understanding of local ecosystems, weather patterns, and resource management. This knowledge offers valuable contributions to climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.

2.6.1 Case Study: The Penan and Kedayan of Brunei

• The Penan, traditionally nomadic rainforest dwellers, use ecological indicators like animal behavior and plant blooming to predict weather changes.
• The Kedayan, agriculturists of Brunei, rely on traditional calendars (based on lunar cycles) for planting and harvesting decisions.
• Their practices promote biodiversity, water conservation, and soil fertility, offering low-impact alternatives to modern monoculture farming.

2.6.2 Natural Remedies, Medicines and Indigenous People

• Indigenous communities possess deep knowledge of medicinal plants used to treat illnesses and maintain well-being.
• This knowledge is threatened by:
• Climate-driven shifts in plant distribution,
• Overharvesting due to commercial demand,
• Loss of language and oral transmission routes.
• Example: Tribes in the Western Ghats of India use over 300 plant species for traditional medicine, including plants for treating respiratory infections, fevers, and skin diseases.

2.6.3 Case Study: Medicinal Plants in India

• The Apatani tribe in Arunachal Pradesh uses plants like Zanthoxylumarmatum for toothaches and Centellaasiatica for memory enhancement.
• The Irulas of Tamil Nadu are known for their expertise in snake venom extraction and herbal treatments.
• Efforts are being made to document and protect these resources under biodiversity conservation programs like the People's Biodiversity Register (PBR).

2.6.4 Responding to Climate Change

Indigenous responses include:

• Agroforestry and mixed cropping to improve soil and water retention.
• Community-based monitoring of climate impacts (e.g., glacier melt, fish migration).
• Sacred groves and protected zones, preserving biodiversity hot spots.
• Advocacy and alliances with global environmental movements.

Indigenous knowledge complements scientific climate data and enhances resilience in vulnerable regions.

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2.7 Let Us Sum Up

• Indigenous peoples are among the most climate-vulnerable yet ecologically knowledgeable communities.
• Their environmental identity is deeply rooted in the landscape, shaping how they perceive and respond to climate change.
• Environmental justice for indigenous communities includes land rights, participation in policymaking, and cultural recognition.
• Case studies from Brunei and India illustrate the richness of traditional ecological knowledge and its continued relevance.
• Indigenous knowledge systems provide vital, sustainable pathways for climate change adaptation and resilience-building.

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2.8 Keywords (with Definitions)

1. Indigenous Communities – Ethnically distinct groups with historical ties to specific geographic areas, maintaining traditional cultural, social, and environmental practices.
2. Environmental Identity – A person or community’s sense of self that is shaped through a close relationship with the natural environment.
3. Environmental Justice – The equitable distribution of environmental benefits and burdens, and meaningful participation of all people in environmental decision-making.
4. Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) – The right of indigenous peoples to approve or reject projects that affect their land, resources, and cultural integrity.
5. Indigenous Knowledge Systems – Localized systems of understanding based on long-standing traditions and experiences with nature, often passed through oral traditions.
6. Sacred Groves – Forest patches conserved by communities due to religious or cultural beliefs, often rich in biodiversity.
7. Agroforestry – A land-use system combining trees and shrubs with crops or livestock for ecological and economic benefits.
8. People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR) – A community-maintained document that records traditional knowledge of biodiversity and its conservation.
9. Climate Justice – A framework linking human rights and development to achieve equitable responses to climate change.
10. Resilience – The ability of a system or community to absorb shocks and recover from adverse climate or environmental events.