"Well, at least we still know how to suck on leaves if we need to," said a woman at Longs when she realized the bottled water was sold out as Honolulu anticipated Iselle.

It reminded me of a statement I heard last year from Robert "Sonny" Keakealani, a lifelong cowboy from an area in North Kona that has experienced drought for the last 30 years, and is projected to become even drier. "We know how. If anything happens, we still can do it in our own backyard. If we need to go down to the beach and drink brackish water, we can."

This knowlege was critical in his youth (before piped water), and given our vulnerability to natural disasters and global climate change, it still is today.

This is just one example I have learned in my research on the value of traditional knowledge and climate change adaptation in the Pacific. Traditional environmental knowledge is a time-tested system of information, practices and beliefs about the local environment. It is based on experience and observation, deeply rooted in practice and culture, and passed down over generations — often through legends, proverbs and songs. For example, "Wai a Kāne" is a mele that describes water sources and the hydrological cycle in Hawaii.

Based on close relationships with the land and ocean, Hawaiians developed in-depth knowledge of local resource management and use. They learned to monitor and adapt to environmental changes and extreme events (hurricane, tsunami, drought), including disturbances that are on par with projections for climate change today.

Considering NOAA has recently issued an El Niño watch, which means more drought-like conditions and increased hurricane threats are expected this year, research and action on these knowledge systems should be a high priority.

Communities around the world, from the Arctic to the Pacific Islands, are observing climate change as it affects the resources important to them. These on-the-ground insights deepen our understanding of climate change directly.

Perhaps less obvious, but as important for adaptation planning, are the values and practices that guide resource use and managment. For example, exchanging or gifting resources is a cultural practice in Hawaii that has supported communities that have limited resources and are prone to disturbances.

Traditionally, taro and sweet potatoes from the uplands were exchanged for fish and salt from the shoreline. This way of life made a wider range of resources available to communities and it helped maintain relationships with people that could be called on in times of need. This still persists today.

"Taking care of each other was our culture," explained Keakealani about his upbringing. In the wake of Iselle, I expect people in Hilo and Waimea have more examples of acts of sharing resources.

Although scientists are refining projections on the effects of a changing climate, there is still a lot that is not known. Combining scientific and traditional knowledge to design adaptation strategies that are scientifically sound and attuned to local knowledge and values is critical.

Research suggests that not including these dimensions in climate change adaptation planning can not just be ineffective, but harmful. Hawaii’s Act 286, Climate Change Adaptation Priority Guidelines (signed into law in 2012), specifies the priorities shall "consider native Hawaiian traditional knowledge and practices in planning for the impacts of climate change."

We need to do more than "consider." We need to fund research and bolster programs that support and learn from communities of cultural practice, because their insights and ways of life may hold some of the most vital lessons for adapting to our changing environment.