Indigenous knowledge for disaster mitigation and climate threats in Mentawai, Indonesia.

Climate change and natural hazards such as floods, earthquakes and tsunamis pose a serious threat to coastal communities, including the Mentawai, West Sumatra, Indonesia. This research aims to explore and integrate the indigenous knowledge of Mentawai people in disaster mitigation and climate change adaptation. Using mixed methods research with a sequential explanatory model, quantitative data were collected from 106 respondents through a cross-sectional survey, while qualitative data were obtained through interviews with nine participants, including village officials, religious leaders and local residents. Results show that the majority of the community understands and practices indigenous knowledge such as reading natural signs, the traditional ritual Contribution: This research contributes by enriching the literature on the integration of indigenous knowledge in disaster mitigation and climate change adaptation, especially in coastal indigenous communities. The results are expected to be a reference in the development of sustainable culture-based policies, as well as supporting the improvement of community resilience to environmental threats through synergies among local traditions, education and technological support.