A Culture-Based Climate Action Perspective
When Climate Meets Culture: A Forgotten Pillar of Hope
Recently, countries in the Group of Friends for Culture-Based Climate Action (GFCBCA) raised an important message at the UNESCO MONDIACULT 2025 event in Barcelona: culture must stand as a central pillar in climate action.
However, ironically, while global leaders speak about sustainability, local culture and traditional ecological knowledge remain marginalized in mainstream climate mitigation strategies.
And this is where the wound begins.
Mangroves — those silent guardians of the coastline — are not merely ecological infrastructure. They are living libraries. They hold knowledge accumulated through centuries of coexistence between coastal communities and the sea.
Yet today, as reported by National Today (July 2025), the average country has lost 80% of its mangrove population.
This is not a natural disaster.
This is a knowledge disaster.
For decades, hegemonic development models — shaped by technocratic, Western-centric ideologies — have dominated environmental governance. Industrial expansion, mega-infrastructure, reclamation projects, and extractive economies have been framed as “progress.”
But progress for whom?
Meanwhile, the rows of green soldiers that once guarded our coastlines are falling. Mangrove roots are torn apart by industrial machinery. Their ecosystems mutilated in the name of economic growth.
If you are reading this as a policymaker, environmental NGO, sustainability consultant, or development strategist, this is not merely a story.
This is a call.
Because climate action that ignores culture is not climate action — it is climate illusion.
And perhaps, it is time to rethink how we approach sustainability solutions, partnerships, and environmental services.
Pseudo-Development and the Collapse of Mangrove Civilization
Six million hectares — gone in forty years.
Furthermore, the Global Mangrove Alliance (2025) reports that over 60% of the world’s mangroves have been lost in the last two decades. Mangroves are disappearing 3–5 times faster than non-mangrove forests.
This is not simply environmental degradation.
This is the collapse of a civilization.
Coastal communities once managed mangrove ecosystems through inherited systems of stewardship. They understood tidal rhythms. They protected spawning grounds. They integrated spiritual values with ecological responsibility.
However, modern development frameworks systematically excluded them.
A 2023 study by WALHI revealed widespread “ocean grabbing” embedded in 28 regional coastal zoning regulations. Reclamation and sea sand mining projects have damaged aquatic ecosystems and suffocated the livelihoods of small-scale fishermen.
Consequently, policies began favoring extractive industries instead of coastal communities.
And slowly, culture collapsed before the mega-project of “modern knowledge.”
This is what we call pseudo-development.
It speaks the language of sustainability, yet erases traditional ecological intelligence.
It promises prosperity, yet mortgages public welfare — even contradicting principles like Article 33 of Indonesia’s 1945 Constitution, which emphasizes prosperity for the people.
So here is the crucial question:
If climate mitigation strategies continue to sideline local knowledge systems, how sustainable can they truly be?
For organizations working in ESG consulting, sustainable infrastructure planning, climate risk management, or community-based adaptation programs, the answer is clear:
You cannot build resilience without restoring dignity to local knowledge.
That is not charity.
That is strategy.
And it requires a shift — not only in policy, but in mindset.
Decolonizing Ecological Knowledge: A Strategic Climate Imperative
The Colombian scholar Arturo Escobar, in Territories of Difference (2008), reminds us of the urgency of decolonizing ecological knowledge.
Decolonization does not mean rejecting science.
Rather, it means recognizing that local, indigenous, and community-based knowledge systems are not inferior — they are foundational.
In the context of mangroves, decolonizing knowledge means:
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Restoring decision-making power to coastal communities
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Integrating traditional management practices into formal climate policies
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Designing mitigation strategies rooted in cultural landscapes
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Funding community-led mangrove restoration programs
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Building climate governance models that honor place-based wisdom
In other words, it means shifting from extraction to collaboration.
And here is where your role becomes vital.
If you represent:
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A climate-focused NGO
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A sustainability consultancy
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A government agency
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A green investment firm
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Or a corporate ESG division
Then the future of mangroves — and climate resilience — may depend on the services you choose to support.
Culture-based climate action is not symbolic branding. It is measurable impact.
Community-led mangrove restoration enhances carbon sequestration, strengthens coastal protection, preserves biodiversity, and ensures social justice.
Moreover, it builds long-term legitimacy.
Now imagine your organization not only reducing carbon footprints but also empowering coastal guardians.
Imagine investing in programs where science and tradition walk side by side.
Imagine partnering with experts who understand both climate data and cultural narratives.
This is not romanticism.
This is the next frontier of climate strategy.
The climate crisis is not only about emissions. It is about relationships — between land and sea, policy and people, knowledge and power.
And if we are courageous enough to decolonize how we think, plan, and invest, then perhaps the mangroves will rise again — like green poetry guarding the shore.
The question is no longer whether culture matters in climate action.
The question is:
Are we ready to act on it?