From July 23-30th, Paula Moehlenkamp, a Project Specialist with Pacific RISA, a NOAA RISA team, participated in a knowledge exchange hosted by the Ebiil Society in Ngarchelong State, Palau. Ms. Moehlenkamp attended as a representative of Pacific RISA and the Local2030 Island Network, a project that aims to support climate resilience and adaptation management in the Pacific Region through the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) framework.
The meeting brought together participants from Hawaiʻi, Guam, Palau, FSM, and the Pacific Northwest, who sought to support the re-learning of Indigenous technology; explore Indigenous coastal solutions for climate change mitigation, adaptation, and resilience; and reestablish ancient alliances as well as build new ones for a united Pacific. Participants outplanted nursery-grown giant clams and visited a milkfish farm to learn and exchange knowledge on environmentally regenerative ways to increase access to local food, and the potential for new green jobs and community-based economic development opportunities.
Another component of the knowledge exchange was traditional navigation/wayfinding and boat building in the Pacific, engaging in conversation about aligning future emissions with other voyaging societies, and the importance of continuing to share Indigenous knowledge and traditional practices to ensure their survival.
The exchange concluded with a discussion of the importance of building partnerships for a united Pacific through exchange and re-learning of Indigenous technologies, with an aim to create sustainable, Indigenous-led economies in natural resource management, provide solutions for climate resilience and adaptation, advance food security and sovereignty, and achieve a safe, just, and secure ocean.
Learn more about the Palau Exchange »
Learn more about Pacific RISA »
For more information, contact Krista Jaspers or Jessica Garrison.
