Cited by 180Indigenous Studies and EcologyIndigenous Peoples' Rights and LawEnvironmental and Cultural Studies in Latin America and Beyond

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 56 of the 58 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 7 of the 69 sources its claims cite were checked for support.

Culture, law, risk and governance: contexts of traditional knowledge in climate change adaptation

Open access
Williams, Terry, Hardison, Preston·2013·Climatic Change

Abstract

Traditional knowledge is increasingly recognized as valuable for adaptation to climate change, bringing scientists and indigenous peoples together to collaborate and exchange knowledge. These partnerships can benefit both researchers and indigenous peoples through mutual learning and mutual knowledge generation. Despite these benefits, most descriptions focus on the social contexts of exchange. The implications of the multiple cultural, legal, risk-benefit and governance contexts of knowledge exchange have been less recognized. The failure to consider these contexts of knowledge exchange can result in the promotion of benefits while failing to adequately address adverse consequences. The purpose of this article is to promote awareness of these issues to encourage their wider incorporation into research, policy, measures to implement free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) and the development of equitable adaptation partnerships between indigenous peoples and researchers.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

Traditional knowledge is increasingly recognized as valuable for climate change adaptation, but knowledge exchanges occur within cultural, legal, risk-benefit, and governance contexts that are often overlooked. The paper argues that equitable indigenous–researcher partnerships require free, prior and informed consent, respect for indigenous sovereignty, and legal/governance reforms to prevent harm and appropriation.

Key findings

  • Traditional knowledge can help define environmental baselines, identify climate impacts, provide observational evidence, support culturally appropriate adaptation, and supply technologies/practices for coping with change; partnerships can yield co-learning and co-production benefits for researchers and indigenous communities.
  • The cultural, legal, risk-benefit, and governance contexts of knowledge exchange are under-examined, and ignoring them can promote benefits while failing to address adverse consequences such as loss of control, misappropriation, and spiritual/cultural harm.
  • Legal frameworks—copyright, FOIA, freedom of expression, and common heritage of humankind—often override customary laws and stewardship obligations, placing shared traditional knowledge into foreign legal contexts; instruments like the Nagoya Protocol, WIPO negotiations, and national laws remain insufficient.
  • Indigenous peoples are not merely stakeholders but peoples with governance/sovereignty rights; examples include the Clyde River Inuit weather observations, Coast Salish risk concerns, Waswanipi Cree family maps, and a review of 21 Australian natural resource management case studies finding indigenous-driven co-governance offers better prospects for integrating indigenous and Western knowledge.

Methods

  • Conceptual/review article synthesizing literature, legal instruments, and case examples rather than presenting new empirical data.
  • Draws on illustrative cases including Clyde River Inuit weather knowledge, Coast Salish risk reasoning, the Waswanipi Cree Ndhoho Itschee Process, and a review of 21 Australian natural resource management case studies.
  • Main analysis examines cultural, legal (copyright, FOIA, freedom of expression, common heritage), risk/FPIC, and governance contexts, arguing for governance-based rather than voluntary social frameworks.

Limitations

  • Paper-stated: there are as yet no standards for implementing the “informed” component of FPIC, and more research is needed to develop FPIC guidance in climate change adaptation; legal coverage focuses on copyright as a primary example and does not detail all legal conflicts.
  • Evident: it is a conceptual review with illustrative examples, not a systematic empirical assessment, and it reports no primary quantitative outcome measures.
  • Evident: the risk matrix is described as illustrating “hypothetical trade-offs,” and the examples are largely from US/Canada/Pacific Northwest contexts, limiting generalizability.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1007/s10584-013-0850-0

Cites

56 of 56 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

60 Own interpretation · 27 Sources not found · 25 No full text of the sources · 11 No basis given · 4 Supported · 3 Partly supported · 3 Not checked yet · accuracy not yet measured

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 36
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 58
82 of 82
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The cultural, legal, risk-benefit and governance contexts of knowledge exchange have been under-examined.

    “The implications of the multiple cultural, legal, risk-benefit and governance contexts of knowledge exchange have been less recognized.”
    “The cultural, legal, risk-benefit and governance contexts in which knowledge exchanges occur have been under-examined.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Indigenous peoples are some of those least responsible and most threatened by climate impacts.

    “As indigenous peoples are some of those least responsible and most threatened by climate impacts”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Traditional knowledge is often deeply spiritual and core to indigenous identity.

    “often deeply spiritual and core to their identity”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    There is a history of exploitation, a lack of recognition and respect for indigenous values and rights, a lack of safeguards for the control and proper use of their knowledge and associated biocultural heritage, and a lack of perceived long-term benefits to themselves for sharing.

    “because of a history of exploitation, a lack of recognition and respect for their values and rights, a lack of safeguards for the control and proper use of their knowledge and associated biocultural heritage and by a lack of perceived long-term benefits to themselves for sharing.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The earth system is in decline.

    “The earth system is in decline”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Many nations view UNDRIP to be aspirational and not currently legally binding.

    “Although many nations view UNDRIP to be aspirational and not currently legally binding”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    All signatories of UNDRIP have committed themselves to moving towards implementing its principles.

    “all signatories have committed themselves to moving towards implementing its principles.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Traditional knowledge and associated biocultural heritage are often already threatened by drivers of global climate change such as population growth, urban sprawl, excessive consumption and land conversion.

    “Traditional knowledge and associated biocultural heritage are often already threatened by drivers of global climate change such as population growth, urban sprawl, excessive consumption and land conversion.”
8 of 8

Citations

Cites

Show all 58 references

Research works printed but not linked: 5

  1. AIPP (2012) Indigenous peoples and climate change adaptation in Asia. Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP), Thailand, 24 pp
  2. Goodman EC (2000) Protecting habitat for off-reservation tribal hunting and fishing rights: tribal comanagement as a reserved right. Environl Law 30:279–361
  3. McLean KG (2010) Advance guard: Climate change impacts, adaptation. Mitigation and Indigenous Peoples. United Nations University—Traditional Knowledge Initiative, Darwin
  4. Riley AR (2005) “Straight stealing”: towards an indigenous system of cultural property protection. Wash Law Rev 80:69–165
  5. Thom B, Bain D (2004) Aboriginal intangible property in Canada: An ethnographic review. Industry Canada - Marketplace Framework Policy Branch, Ottawa

Cited by

Sorted by citations

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Metadata

Authors
Williams, T., & Hardison, P.
Corresponding author
Hardison, Preston
Venue
Climatic Change
Published
2013-08-15
Volume
120
Issue
3
Pages
531-544
ISSN
  • 0165-0009 (ISSN-L)
  • 1573-1480
OpenAlex
W2163295355
Cited by
180
References
58
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 23 · 2020: 27 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 13 · 2013: 3
FWCI
24.84
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Climatic Change (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Anthropology › Indigenous Studies and Ecology
  • Social Sciences › Law › Indigenous Peoples' Rights and Law
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Environmental and Cultural Studies in Latin America and Beyond
Keywords
traditional knowledge, climate change adaptation, indigenous peoples, knowledge sharing, free, prior and informed consent, equitable partnerships, mutual learning, risk-benefit assessment, governance, legal context, cultural context

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