Guidelines for Considering Traditional Knowledges (TKs) in Climate Change Initiatives is a publication intended to be an informational resource for tribes, agencies, and organizations across the United States interested in understanding TKs in the context of climate change.

The Third National Climate Assessment issued in May 2014 contained a chapter dedicated to the impact of climate change on tribal peoples. In light of the increasing recognition of the significance of traditional knowledges (TKs) in relation to climate change, a self-organized, informal group of indigenous persons, staff of indigenous governments and organizations, and experts with experience working with issues concerning traditional knowledges (The Climate and Traditional Knowledges Workgroup – CTKW), felt compelled to develop a framework to increase understanding of issues relating to access and protection of TKs in climate initiatives and interactions between holders of TKs and non-tribal partners. The Guidelines were originally developed to inform the Department of Interior’s Advisory Committee on Climate Change and Natural Resource Science (ACCCNRS) and the North Pacific Landscape Conservation Cooperative in May 2014. The CTKW developed these Guidelines through a collaborative effort with funding support from individual tribal governments, the North Pacific Landscape Conservation Cooperative, the Northwest Climate Science Center and the USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station.

** Neither these guidelines nor this website are places to share Traditional Knowledges. Instead, they are places to build an understanding of how Traditional Knowledges may inform climate change initiatives and the risks to tribes and knowledge holders that may come from sharing Traditional Knowledges. This website will not accept submissions of primary Traditional Knowledges, and is not a place for Traditional Knowledges to be exchanged.

Citation: Climate and Traditional Knowledges Workgroup (CTKW). 2014. Guidelines for Considering Traditional Knowledges in Climate Change Initiatives. https://climatetkw.wordpress.com. 

Download a brochure about the guidelines here: TKs_Guidelines_brochure