Traditional Ecological Knowledge in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta
Rural communities in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta are losing traditional ecological knowledge due to climate change, agricultural modernisation, and migration, which are reshaping local livelihoods.
Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) is a dynamic body of knowledge that develops through experimentation, learning, and interaction with environments, supporting resource-based livelihoods in rural communities and valued across diverse cultural contexts.
TEK shapes ways of life, norms, values, and the ‘living with floods’ cultures of rural communities.
Local narratives of adaptation demonstrate how TEK has evolved through communities' interactions with water environments and their everyday livelihoods, with examples such as fish trap making illustrating this process.
Author's summary: TEK is under threat in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta.