Learning from Local Ecological Knowledge to understand Climate Change Impacts and Preserve Key Cultural and Natural Resources in Ka‘ūpūlehu, Hawai‘i
Climate change is a global process with site-specific ecological and sociocultural repercussions. Place-based observations made by people who have a history of being connected to the land and sea are critical for complementing global climate change models to help identify: how climate is changing locally, the ecological and social impacts of climate change, and the ways people are adapting. This kind of knowledge and these kinds of insights may be best understood in a resilient community, such as Ka‘ūpūlehu.
This collaborative project aims to identify: local knowledge-relevant to climate and environmental change; the biological and cultural resources most valued by community members; and coping mechanisms, adaptation strategies and resources that promote social-ecological resiliency to climate change.