A/HRC/27/66 which have been tested by time and proven to be sustainable and successful in limiting the effects of hazards” (E/C.19/2013/14, para. 39). 52. Indigenous peoples should therefore not simply be viewed as people who are vulnerable to climate change — they are also ecosystem peoples, with sound knowledge of and an intimate relationship with their environments. Indigenous peoples inhabit some of the most fragile ecosystems on the planet, and have developed unique strategies to cope with extreme variations of weather, such as altering land use and settlement patterns, and crop diversification, in order to minimize the risk of harvest failures. Other coping strategies include changes to hunting and gathering periods to adapt to changing animal migration and fruiting periods, the introduction of food banking and seed banking, along with the creation of exchange networks among the communities, and the conservation of forests and watersheds, including the restoration of ecosystems.30 53. However, this knowledge has been unduly neglected in disaster management policies formulated by States, due not only to the predominance of technocratic thinking, but also to the lack of connections between mostly non-indigenous officials and the indigenous population. Among the many arguments that can be made in favour of using traditional knowledge in disaster risk reduction, four are especially compelling: (a) Indigenous practices for disaster risk reduction and mitigation can often be adapted for use by other communities in similar situations or environments. (b) The use of a community’s traditional practices can encourage participation and empower the community itself to take the lead in disaster risk reduction initiatives. (c) Traditional knowledge and practices can provide valuable information about the local context to project implementation partners, including government agencies working on disaster risk reduction. (d) The non-formal dissemination of traditional knowledge provides a model for awareness-raising and education on disaster risk reduction.31 54. Today, indigenous peoples’ traditional knowledge and practices, which were formerly undervalued and ignored, are increasingly considered to be important and necessary contributions to the conservation of biodiversity and to disaster risk reduction. As stressed by the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, maintenance of indigenous peoples’ cultural and spiritual relationships based on sustainable development and millennial knowledge founded in generations of hunting and agricultural practices, land management, sustainable water use, and agriculture-related engineering and architecture, which leads to vital conservation of biodiversity, must be a key priority in effectively addressing environmental or food catastrophes and global warming.32 Recognition and respect of the rights of indigenous peoples to self-determination, lands, territories and resources, and the protection of traditional knowledge, will have a positive impact on the environment,33 and on disaster risk reduction, prevention and preparedness initiatives. 30 31 32 33 14 Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact, Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change Adaptation in Asia (2012), p. 2. Adapted from UNISDR, Indigenous Knowledge for Disaster Risk Reduction: Good Practices and Lessons Learned from Experiences in the Asia-Pacific Region (2008). Available from www.unisdr.org/we/inform/publications/3646 (accessed 4 August 2014). State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples (United Nations publication, Sales No. 09.VI.13), pp. 42–43. UN-Habitat, Securing Land Rights for Indigenous Peoples in Cities: Policy Guide to Secure Land Rights for Indigenous Peoples in Cities (Nairobi, 2009), p. 21.