Ecological Calendars and Climate Adaptation Project (ECCAP)

Roshorv, Bartang Valley, Tajikistan;
Photo credit: Karim-Aly Kassam

What are Ecological Calendars?

Calendars enable us to anticipate future conditions and plan activities. Ecological calendars keep track of time by observing seasonal changes in our habitat. The nascence of a flower, emergence of an insect, arrival of a migratory bird, breakup of ice, or last day of snow cover – each is a useful cue for livelihood activities, such as sowing crops, gathering plants, herding animals, hunting, fishing, or observing cultural festivals.

Many human communities have developed unique and reliable systems to recognize and respond to climatic variability. Multiple generations living in particular landscapes accumulate knowledge of the relational timing of celestial and ecological phenomena. Historically, these diverse ecological calendars enabled communities to coordinate livelihood activities with seasonal processes. However, due to colonization and industrialization, these calendars fell into disuse. Now these calendars are pregnant with promise and require recalibration to new conditions and increasing variability due to anthropogenic climate change.

Ghudara, Bartang Valley, Tajikistan;
Photo credit: Karim-Aly Kassam

Why are Ecological Calendars Relevant?

The greatest challenge of anthropogenic climate change is lack of predictability due to unprecedented weather patterns. Developing anticipatory capacity – the ability to envision possible futures and develop a dynamic plan to deal with uncertainties – is urgent. Ecological calendars contribute to food and livelihood security. An estimated 70-80% of the world’s population continues to rely on food produced by small-holder farmers and herders. Food systems require the ability to anticipate patterns of temperature and precipitation. Communities and researchers must innovate to adapt to a greater range of possible scenarios.

The Kassam Research Group is leading two participatory action research projects focused on ecological calendars in North America and the Pamir Mountains of Central Asia. The overarching aim of these projects are to revitalize, recalibrate, and develop new ecological calendars by integrating place-based and indigenous knowledge with science. These projects aim to establish a proof-of-concept for ecological calendars in collaboration with diverse indigenous and rural communities across the globe.

Ecological Calendars for Climate Change Adaptation (North America)

With support from the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, we are partnering with Dakota and Lakota First Nations in Standing Rock and rural communities in the Oneida Lake Watershed of upstate New York.

In December 2015, the research group collaborated with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to host a 3-day workshop for Elders, youth, and tribal government agencies focused on ecological calendars. Based on the recommendations of workshop participants, we continued to organize focus groups and individual interviews to document phenological knowledge and seasonal activities in eight reservation communities.

In June 2016, the research group hosted two workshops at the Cornell Biological Field Station on Oneida Lake to plan the research process and identify sources of community knowledge. Following the workshop, we conducted interviews with farmers, fishers, beekeepers, orchardists, maple syrup producers, birders, and others to engage with their rich knowledge of seasonal processes in the Oneida Lake Watershed.

Oneida Lake, New York, USA;
Photo credit: Tamar Law

Significant results in 2018 at Lake Oneida, New York, USA:

Returned to continue ethnographic research involving interviews in the Lake Oneida Watershed on ecological calendars.
Undertook new research on food systems linked to ecological calendars and food security. All of this work was conducted by separately funded three undergraduate research assistants, MS student, Post-Doc and Lead-PI.

Significant results in 2018 at Standing Rock, North and South Dakota, USA

Undertook validation of ethnographic research in 8 communities of the Standing Rock First Nation (October 2018). This involved gathering village participants and presenting data for their review, input, and insight. This transdisciplinary process can best be described as a participatory peer-review. US Post-Doc and the Lead-PI undertook this activity.

Project team includes:

Karim-Aly Kassam, Cornell University, USA (Lead PI)
Christopher Dunn, Cornell Botanical Gardens (Co-PI)
Amanda Rodewald, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology (Co-PI)
David Wolfe, Cornell Plant Sciences & Horticulture (Co-PI)
Arthur Degaetano, Cornell Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (Co-PI)
Morgan Ruelle, former Postdoc Researcher (Cornell University) & Asst. Professor (Clark University)
Tamar Law, Honors Student (Cornell University)
Madeline Rich, Undergraduate Intern (Cornell University)
Leo Louis, MS Student (Cornell University)
Iriel Edwards, Honors student (Cornell University)
Hayley Tessler, Honors Student (Cornell University)
Alexandria Mantilla, Honors Student (Cornell University)

Ecological Calendars and Climate Adaptation in the Pamirs (Central Asia)

With support from the Belmont Forum, the National Science Foundation (USA), the National Science Foundation (China), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (Italy), and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Germany), the Kassam Research Group will be partnering with communities in the Shugnan Valley of Badakhshan, Afghanistan; Alai Valley of Osh Province, Kyrgyztan; Tashkurgan Valley of Xinjiang, China; and Bartang Valley of Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan.

Sary Mogul, Alai Valley, Kyrgyzstan;
Photo credit: Tobias Kraudzun

In July 2016, Professor Kassam, along with the International team of scholars and students, hosted workshops in Alai Valley in Osh Province, Kyrgyzstan and Tashkurgan Valley in Xinjiang, China to conceptualize ecological calendars research in the Pamirs. In addition to preliminary research, climate stations were established in the high altitude mountain communities.

In 2017, the Kassam Research Group returned to these communities to continue participatory human ecological mapping. In addition, we established the project in the villages of Savnob and Roshorv in the Bartang Valley of Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan and began ethnographic research. Furthermore, similar ethnographic research began in Sary Mogul in the Alai Valley, Kyrgyzstan. Research in Shugnan, Afghanistan was postponed due to security threats.

After a two year delay due to security concerns, in 2018 in Badakhshan, Afghanistan, a preliminary workshop in the regions of Bahrak and Jurum took place.

Significant results in 2018, undertaken by the Lead PI with the assistance of German and US graduate students and community researchers:

At the Villages of Roshorv and Savnob in the Bartang Valley of Tajikistan and the Village of Sary Mogul in the Alai Valley of Kyrgyzstan:

Undertook validation of ethnographic research in the Villages of Roshorv and Savnob in the Bartang Valley of Tajikistan as well as Villages of Sary Mogul in the Alai Valley of Kyrgyzstan. This involved gathering all the villagers, presenting data, and asking for their review, input, and insight. This transdisciplinary process can best be described as a participatory peer-review. Community researchers, graduate students from the German and US Team and the Lead-PI undertook this activity.
Remote sensed and regional climate data compiled by the biophysical science team was presented to the villagers for ground-truthing.
Additional research was undertaken by biophysical science team using ethnographic approach to situate the local experience of climate events by the villagers.
Phenological data was collected for the Italian team.

Additional Significant Results in 2018:

Validation workshop in Savnob;
Photo credit Daler Kaziev

Helped establish a Climate Change oversight position at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan to coordinate all climate change activities of Government Ministries (see report of the Canadian Embassy in Kabul to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Canada).
Practically demonstrated that transdisciplinary research not only engages collaboration between the social and biophysical sciences as well as humanities; rather, it means active involvement of local and Indigenous peoples to co-generate knowledge.

Project team includes:

Karim-Aly Kassam, Cornell University, USA (Lead PI)
Cyrus Samimi, University of Bayreuth, Germany (Partner PI)
Antonio Trabucco, Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change, Italy (Partner PI)
Jianchu Xu, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China (Partner PI)
Umed Bulbulshoev, Community Advisor & Researcher (Tajikistan)
Tobias Kraudzun Research Logistics (Germany)
Isabelle Haag, PhD Candidate (Bayreuth University)
Daler Kaziev, MS Student (Cornell University)
Kayla Scheimreif MS Student (Cornell University)
Talia Chorover MS Student (Cornell University)
Thomas Senftl, Honors Student (Germany)
Sarah Holden, MS Student (Germany)
Anna Ullmann, Honors Student (Cornell University)

Tashkurgan, Xinjiang;
Photo credit: Siyu Guo

Summary 2019:

Having validated our ethnographic research and ground-truthed our climate data in each of the respective research sites in North American and the Pamir Mountains of Central Asia, in 2019 we integrated the transdisciplinary humanities’, social and biophysical science data in collaboration with our diverse and respective teams in Germany, Italy and the USA.

Photo credit: Post Doct, Xinjiang, Siyu Guo

Furthermore, the combined indigenous ecological knowledge with the biophysical and social sciences has produced context-specific draft ecological calendars for our sites in Central Asia and North America. Specifically, we have draft ecological calendars for the communities of Savnob and Roshorv (Tajikistan), Sary Mogul (Kyrgyzstan), Standing Rock Sioux Nation (USA), and Oneida Lake, New York (USA).
In addition, key biophysical indicators that inform food security and livelihood activities for each of these communities have been identified. This is key for further transdisciplinary research of climate change impacts on these indicator species.

Summary 2020:

Fieldwork in 2020 required validating the draft ecological calendars to anticipate climate change with each of the specific communities in Central Asia and North America. We have been unable to achieve this due to the global pandemic. Nonetheless, we are finding creative ways to continue our research remotely in all these regions by using other data sources and technologies that facilitate communication.

Planning for the International Conference in 2021 to conclude the project continued. Rhythms of the Land: Indigenous Knowledge, Science, and Thriving Together in a Changing Climate” is scheduled to take place the week of September 27th, 2021 at the Cornell Botanic Gardens and the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art. This conference will bring indigenous community members, scientists, high-ranking policy makers, artists, and our students from around the World to discuss applied transdisciplinary research to anticipate climate change at the level of communities.

Civil Society Partners

AgWeatherNet (Washington State University)

American Geophysical Union

CAMP Tabiat (Tajikistan)

Community Tourism Committee (Kyrgyzstan)

Cornell Biological Field Station at Shackleton Point

Deutsche Gessellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbait (GIZ)

FOCUS Humanitarian Assistance (Tajikistan)

International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)

International Society of Biometeorology – Phenology Commission

International Union for Conservation of Nature

Man and the Biosphere Programme (UNESCO)

Mountain Research Initiative

US Department of the Interior – Climate Science Centers

US National Phenology Network

Standing Rock Sioux Nation (USA)

Village Organization, Roshorv (Tajikistan)

Village Organization, Savnob (Tajikistan)

Wakhan Pamir Research Project (Ca’ Foscari University of Venice)

World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)

← Back to Research Projects