Building on local knowledge for climate compatible development

This fact sheet from the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) outlines strategies for integrating local knowledge with scientific data to support climate compatible development. It emphasizes that while local governments often lack high-quality information, they can bridge these gaps by training staff, engaging communities through dialogue, and establishing systems to manage and sustain local knowledge.

• Local governments should provide tailored training to staff to help them connect community challenges with climate change effects and translate that understanding into actionable strategies.
• To capture local knowledge and raise awareness, governments should use locally attuned approaches and dialogue, which often requires collaboration between local context experts and specialized researchers.
• It is essential to establish a formal strategy for the collection, management, and accessibility of local knowledge to ensure it is sustained beyond the lifespan of individual projects.
• Combining local expertise and experience with scientific data creates the most effective knowledge base for planning, as local knowledge helps identify what additional external research or guidance is required.
• Utilizing local information as a starting point for development increases community ownership of the process, even if the available data is initially incomplete.

APA

Reil, A., Dupar, M., Paul, A., Indrawan, M., & Mandal, A. (2017). Building on local knowledge for climate compatible development. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Building-on-knowledge-management_Essential_WEB.pdf

Chicago

Reil, Alice, Mairi Dupar, Aditi Paul, Mochamad Indrawan, and Arpita Mandal. Building on local knowledge for climate compatible development. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2017. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Building-on-knowledge-management_Essential_WEB.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Reil |first1=Alice |last2=Dupar |first2=Mairi |last3=Paul |first3=Aditi |last4=Indrawan |first4=Mochamad |last5=Mandal |first5=Arpita |title=Building on local knowledge for climate compatible development |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=October 2017 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Building-on-knowledge-management_Essential_WEB.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{reil2017building, author = {Reil, Alice and Dupar, Mairi and Paul, Aditi and Indrawan, Mochamad and Mandal, Arpita}, title = {{Building on local knowledge for climate compatible development}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2017}, month = oct, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Building-on-knowledge-management_Essential_WEB.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }