Conservation International believes that blending the traditional wisdom of elders with modern technology could be a powerful solution to address climate change impacts, especially in rural areas.

Representative Kushaal Raj stressed the importance of integrating traditional and scientific knowledge when addressing climate change in Fiji.

Raj says they recognize the use of tangible measures in demonstrating the effectiveness of their programs.

[Representative Kushaal Raj]

“We follow the high-level policy that is set by the government, and we try to justify the various indicators in our programming and lead some of these visions.”

Meanwhile, Vanuatu MP Julia King highlighted how elders used their traditional knowledge to successfully overcome weather difficulties.

[Vanuatu MP Julia King]

“They can tell the migration of birds and the flowering of fruits. This is the knowledge that we grew up with. This is the traditional knowledge that becomes part of our surroundings and our daily lives.”

King emphasized the importance of merging traditional knowledge into modern weather forecasting methods to improve accuracy and reliability.