Abstract

The rivers and estuary are especially significant to Ngāi Tahu, the local Iwi/Māori tribe. The dramatic changes that have affected and still affect wetlands in New Zealand, have strongly impacted their customary relationship with -wet lands- and as places for mahinga kai. Mātauranga Māori relates to that historic and present-day traditional knowledge, the systems of knowledge transfer and storage, and the local goals, aspirations and issues from an indigenous perspective. This inspired us to propose an original theme for the 11th IWC: traditional knowledge and innovative science in wetland research and management. Our idea is to create a programme that will enable the sharing of stories from the five continents and island countries around wetland traditional knowledge and uses. This will help the integration of traditional knowledge in western science and highlight further the importance of the world wetlands for local populations.