Guidance on using Traditional Knowledge

Download the full guidance document (PDF)

Overview

The guidance document Indigenous Traditional Knowledge and Climate Change, prepared by AVAANZ Ltd., provides guidelines for electricity sector practitioners on the respectful engagement, use, and integration of Indigenous knowledge in climate-related decision-making and project development.

Purpose

The guidance document supports practitioners in:

• understanding Indigenous knowledge as a distinct and complementary knowledge system
  
• navigating ethical, legal, and cultural considerations
  
• engaging appropriately with Indigenous communities in climate-related work

Key Elements

The document covers:

• Foundations: definitions of Indigenous knowledge and links to climate change
  
• Context: reconciliation and implications for practitioner responsibilities
  
• Governance: community protocols, intellectual property, consent, and confidentiality
  
• Engagement methods: approaches such as interviews, participatory mapping, and dialogue-based processes
  
• Integration approaches: combining Indigenous knowledge and western science

How to Use This Document

This guidance should be used as a framework, not a prescriptive methodology.

Practitioners should:

• use it to inform early-stage planning and engagement strategies
  
• identify appropriate approaches for working with Indigenous communities
  
• adapt recommendations to the specific regional, cultural, and project context
  
• engage directly with communities to determine protocols, expectations, and appropriate use of knowledge

Relevance for Practice

Indigenous knowledge provides place-based, long-term perspectives that complement climate data and modelling. Its use can improve understanding of local conditions, support more contextually appropriate analyses, and strengthen climate resilience planning in the electricity sector.

Key Considerations

• There is no standardized approach; practices must be community-specific
  
• Engagement must be grounded in respect, relationship-building, and transparency
  
• Indigenous knowledge should not be treated as a generic dataset, but as contextual knowledge governed by communities