Originally from Fiji, PhD candidate Pratish Raj is studying Law at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC) and researching how place-based knowledge can be better integrated with formal disaster risk reduction frameworks, with a focus on Fiji and Vanuatu.
"Place-based knowledge systems incorporate all forms of knowledge that exist within a particular community," UC PhD Candidate Pratish Raj explains.
International disaster risk reduction frameworks increasingly recognise the value of traditional and local knowledge alongside scientific approaches, but Raj says his research suggests there is still work to do to translate those commitments into meaningful practice.
His research focuses on developing a better understanding of how place-based knowledge can be used within the existing state-based system, in line with community desires and needs.
"One of the most interesting things I found was that communities actually want help from government. They want to work hand in hand, rather than simply being left to protect their knowledge and manage on their own."
He says when disasters strike, communities often rely on their own knowledge systems, while official support can be more focused on recovery than working with communities beforehand to reduce risk and prepare.
Raj says one of the challenges identified through his research is that provincial authorities can be stretched by limited budgets and resources.
"One community said cyclones have been coming for so long, but they still don't have proper water tanks or even a proper community hall for shelter. After a cyclone they can be left waiting for officials to arrive when the water is already cut.
"Instead of spending so much money in the recovery period, some of that investment could go into pre-planning. In the bigger scheme of things, pre-planning can be more cost effective. For example, something like a water tank is very cheap, but it can help a community prepare for the hazard."
Longer term, Raj's work aims to help governments and national bodies assess and improve how they are incorporate place-based knowledge into disaster risk reduction.
"It could also help communities identify whether their place-based knowledge is being meaningfully considered. They can use it as a reflective and advocacy tool for their priorities in Disaster Risk Reduction planning".
He describes it as a set of criteria that could be applied to a country or agency to check whether community knowledge is genuinely being integrated, rather than simply acknowledged in policy.
"In an ideal situation, officials would know what communities need before a disaster strikes."
Raj says this would mean developing community-based disaster management plans that bring local knowledge and official systems together, setting out what communities need, what should happen when a disaster occurs, and how recovery should be managed.
His fieldwork was supported by a New Zealand Postgraduate Development Field Research Award, administered by the Aotearoa New Zealand International Development Studies Network on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Raj also plans to produce a report on his fieldwork findings and share it with participating communities, which he hopes they can use to support future funding applications and disaster-resilience initiatives.
