“The earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it.”

Chief Joseph (Nez Perce) “An Indian’s View of Indian Affairs.” North American Review CXXXVIII 1879, 421-33.

“a body of traditional environmental and cultural knowledge that is unique to a group of people and that has served to sustain those people throughout generations of living within a distinct bioregion. This is founded on a body of practical environmental knowledge learned and transferred through generations through a form of environmental and cultural education unique to them.”

Gregory Cajete, author of Native Science: Natural Laws of Interdependence

• Agricultural practices: Over hundreds of years, Indigenous people of Peru developed over 300 different native potato varieties suited for different micro-climates based on weather, altitude, soil conditions, and need as a staple food. These varieties are extremely valuable for climate variability: some potatoes are resistant to blights or pests, or tolerant to floods, droughts, heatwaves, or extreme variability in temperature – all of which the climate crisis is increasing.  The same is true for the multiple types of corn grown from Mexico to Canada, where corn seed was cultivated for a wide range of micro-climates. The spiritual and ceremonial aspects of corn (e.g., it’s use in Navajo prayer and ceremony, or the Corn Maiden in Zuni culture) were important to its success.

• Harvesting practices: Sweetgrass grows in different parts of Turtle Island (a name for North America used by some Indigenous people) and is used in basket-making and as a ceremonial medicinal plant. Traditional knowledge about harvesting sweetgrass is to never take more than half, and that it will thrive only if treated with care and reverence. In an experiment to test the effect of different harvesting methods on sweetgrass population growth, lead researcher Laurie Aileen Reid found that picking sweetgrass at a 50% harvest level increased stem density, an indicator of plant growth. These results show what Indigenous basket-makers knew all along: that if you use a plant respectfully, it will flourish with our nurturing.

• Forestry stewardship: Indigenous communities around the world, from the Yanomami of the Amazon to the Nuu-chah-nulth in Ahousaht, British Columbia, Canada, have championed the protection of forests. Forests remove and store carbon dioxide as they grow, a process known as carbon sequestration, and old growth forests sequester even more carbon than younger forests. Since cutting down trees releases that stored carbon back into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming, it is vital to protect them. Protecting old growth forests also preserves the exceptional species biodiversity living within them. Western research now shows that when Indigenous communities have rights to manage their land, their land holds more carbon, their forests are denser, more biodiverse, and there are reduced rates of deforestation, than when their land is managed by others. Indigenous knowledge is also invaluable in forest regeneration after logging, such as knowing which species of trees to plant, though it has been disregarded in the past.

• Learning from Indigenous Knowledge: Reductions in carbon emissions are urgently needed. The Indigenous concepts of reciprocity and relationality – taking only what you need and giving back – are simple yet powerful Indigenous wisdoms that can teach environmental stewardship and help create more equity and equality.
• Weaving Indigenous Knowledges with Western science: The first thing is to recognize that Indigenous knowledge systems are equally as important as Western science. Each have benefits to understanding complex systems. Traditional ecological knowledge observes systems over time and attends to changing relationships between the land and other beings. This makes it dynamic and responsive to the natural world, which is important for adapting to climate change. There are increasing calls for the scientific community and decision-making bodies to center Indigenous knowledge and address the power imbalances in the knowledge systems. 
• Ecological restoration and climate adaptation: Indigenous knowledge can inform many agricultural, harvesting, and soil fertility practices, and forestry management, including managing wildfires (see “cultural burning”). Some governments are finally recognizing Indigenous land practices by legislating the protection of forests and incorporating Indigenous knowledges into their policies and practices. One example moving in the direction of restoration and adaptation is Land Back, an Indigenous-led movement to reclaim sovereignty and stewardship of their traditional land (for instance, the return of Blue Lake to the Taos Pueblo community).