From traditional knowledge and ancient wisdom...

  One afternoon, last year, we sat in a village hall in Fiji chatting to residents about traditional ways of forecasting tropical cyclones. One man mentioned a black-winged storm bird as “manumanunicagi” that glides above the land only when a cyclone is forming out to sea. As the conversation continued, residents named at least 11 bird species, the odd behaviour of which signalled imminent changes in the weather.
  As we were leaving later that evening, an elder took us aside. He was pleased we had taken their beliefs seriously and said many older Pacific people won't talk about traditional knowledge for fear of ridicule. [...]
  We reviewed evidence on traditional knowledge in the Pacific with climate change, and found much of it was scientifically plausible. This indicates such knowledge should play a significant role in sustaining Pacific Island communities in future. [...]
  People have inhabited the Pacific Islands for 3,000 years or more and have experienced many climate-driven challenges to their livelihoods and survival. They have coped not by luck but by design through robust systems of traditional knowledge built by diverse groups of people over time.
  The main shortterm climate-related threats to island livelihoods in the Pacific are tropical cyclones.
  Traditional knowledge in the Pacific explains the causes and manifestations of natural phenomena, and identifies the best ways to respond. It is commonly communicated orally between generations.
  Residents of Fiji's Druadrua Island interpret breaking waves to predict a cyclone as long as one month before it hits. In Vanuatu's Torres Islands, 13 phrases exist to describe the state of the tide. [...]
  These observations make scientific sense. Distant storms can drive ocean swells onto coasts long before the winds and rain arrive, changing the usual pattern of waves.