Upland cultivation in Laos

Forests are also a key factor in climate regulation and protection against natural hazards. They play a crucial role in providing essential ecosystem services: maintaining water quality and availability; regulating soil fertility; controlling erosion; regulating climate; and supporting traditional agroecological systems that underpin the livelihoods of local communities. In Laos, the TRACE project aims to examine the socio-ecological system of highland traditional agroforestry systems, specifically focusing on tea plantations in relation to climate change governance.

Institutional partner
Comité De Coopération Avec Le Laos (CCL)

For indigenous Karen communities of Kawthoolei, located in Burma/Myanmar, sustainable use and effective management of their forests are intrinsically rooted in their Kaw governance practices. For them, Kaw refers to a plurality of customary land tenure systems - founded upon Karen traditional ecological knowledge and cultural heritage - that encompass integrated and holistic territorial, environmental, and sociocultural governance systems. In collaboration with local institutional partners, the TRACE project aims to explore the close interlinkages between Indigenous Karen communities’ customary land tenure systems (Kaw) and the evolution of place-based knowledge in forest conservation amidst climate change and armed conflict.

Institutional partner
Karen Environmental and Social Action Network (KESAN)

In the Philippines, the sea nomads' fishing territories span the archipelago. Originally from Tawi-Tawi, the sea nomads have been dispersed across homeseas to urban areas. Given this reality, this TRACE project aims to provide a grassroots synergy of convening at least six priority projects that aim to build on participatory action research with outputs that is both academic and have a direct impact on the sea nomad (Sama-Bajau) communities. 

Institutional partner
Ateneo De Davao University (ADDU)

This TRACE project in Indonesia will trace traditional knowledge associated with irrigated agriculture, particularly with wet rice cultivation in Java, Bali and Sumatra islands. Using an ethno-historical approach, the research team will conduct field and archival research in order to construct and identify the layers of knowledge that farmers consult in crafting strategies for adaptation and risk mitigation. 

Institutional partner
Gadjah Mada University (UGM)