Traditional Ecological Knowledge Under Threat
Rural communities in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta are losing traditional ecological knowledge due to climate change, agricultural modernisation, and migration, which are reshaping local livelihoods.
Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) is a vital body of knowledge that supports resource-based livelihoods and is valued across diverse cultural contexts. It evolves through experimentation, learning, and interaction with environments.
TEK shapes ways of life, norms, values, and the ‘living with floods’ cultures of rural communities.
Local narratives of adaptation demonstrate how TEK has evolved through communities' interactions with water environments and their everyday livelihoods, as illustrated by fish trap making.
Some argue that TEK is less useful in the context of changing waterscapes and technological development in the Mekong region.
Author's Summary
Climate change and modernisation threaten traditional ecological knowledge in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta.