Indigenous Knowledge Meets Climate Science at Ifugao Rice Terraces

via National Geographic Society, 27 June 2024: A new climate risk assessment for the UNESCO-listed Ifugao Rice Terraces reveals the combined impact of climate change and community values. The report, from Save the Ifugao Rice Terraces and ICOMOS Philippines, highlights the terraces’ vulnerability to extreme weather, while also emphasizing the resilience offered by Indigenous knowledge and community-led initiatives.

The Ifugao Rice Terraces represent an outstanding example of human-environmental harmony and interaction. Located in the Philippine Cordillera mountain range on the northern island of Luzon, the Rice Terraces, carved by ancient Ifugao communities are a marvel of engineering and hydrology that have survived because of a vibrant, living Indigenous culture. The rice fields are central to traditions: communal rice planting, sowing, weeding and harvesting rituals bind villages together in a distinct way of life.

Built and maintained by the Ifugao, the terraces and wider landscape are at the center of a vibrant and rich cultural tradition which includes both tangible and intangible expressions. It is a living landscape, rich in history and tradition. The terraces are under threat from a range of factors including increased precipitation and storminess combined with social and economic pressures on the local communities.

This study is unique because of its dual focus on Indigenous knowledge and climate science, merging traditional wisdom from local communities and modern scientific methods by climate scientists and developing adaptive strategies that are culturally relevant and scientifically sound.

Source: New Report: Climate Risk Assessment of the Ifugao Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras