INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE AND ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE: EVIDENCE FROM COASTAL COMMUNITIES IN CAN GIO, HO CHI MINH CITY

Abstract

The study used a mixed-methods design, combining quantitative surveys, in-depth interviews and participatory observations within the theoretical framework of Sustainable Livelihoods and Local Ecological Knowledge, to analyse the role of indigenous knowledge in adaptation to climate change in the coastal community of Can Gio (Ho Chi Minh City). The results showed that Indigenous knowledge remains an important resource, but intergenerational transmission is being disrupted by rapid transformation, a trend confirmed by more than half of survey respondents. The study proposes adaptive policies that need to be bottom-up, recognising and integrating indigenous knowledge as an essential component of building sustainable livelihoods for coastal communities that are simultaneously impacted by urbanisation and climate change.