Introduction

Climate change presents an unprecedented challenge for human existence on earth. While carbon mitigation has been the focus thus far, it is now well recognized that the adaptation to already visible impacts of the historical emissions of carbon needs serious attention. Mitigation requires global collective action; adaptation must factor in local ecological and social contexts. Therefore, local and traditional knowledge is significant in planning for adaptation. This chapter reviews the literature on the role of traditional and local knowledge in natural resources management, with a specific focus on climate adaptation. It is apparent from the review that integrating western scientific knowledge with traditional and local knowledge, sometimes termed co-production, has become an emerging theme in both academic literature and practice. In addition, the chapter outlines the manner in which local and traditional knowledge could find a place in India’s climate adaptation policies. The chapter concludes with a summary of the contributions in this volume.