Abstract:

Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) represents cumulative, place-based knowledge developed through long-term interaction between communities and their surrounding environments. In many agrarian societies, observations of animal behaviour, plant phenology, atmospheric conditions and other environmental signals have historically been used to anticipate rainfall, seasonal transitions and short-term weather changes. This review examines the conceptual basis, documented evidence, cultural dimensions and contemporary relevance of animal bioindicators within traditional weather and seasonal forecasting, with particular attention to Maharashtra, India. The review uses an integrative narrative approach, drawing on peer-reviewed literature, Indian traditional-knowledge inventories, institutional reports and relevant scholarly sources identified through literature searching. The evidence indicates that birds, amphibians, insects and other animals have been incorporated into local forecasting systems, often in combination with wind direction, cloud appearance, plant phenology, astronomical observations and seasonal calendars. Maharashtra-specific documentation includes indigenous forecasting practices reported from Vidarbha and tribal areas, including observations of bird vocalization, ant activity and other environmental cues. These observations should not be treated as uniformly validated meteorological predictors: their interpretation is context dependent, culturally transmitted and potentially affected by ecological change, land-use change and changing climate patterns. Nevertheless, animal behaviour can provide locally available ecological information because many organisms respond to humidity, temperature, rainfall, pressure, resource availability and other environmental conditions. The review argues that traditional animal-based indicators are best understood as complementary local observations rather than substitutes for modern meteorological forecasting. Future research should combine ethnobiology, behavioural ecology, phenology, meteorology and participatory methods to test locally documented indicators while protecting community rights, knowledge sovereignty and cultural context. A carefully designed knowledge-braiding framework could improve the documentation of local environmental observations and strengthen locally relevant climate services without reducing traditional knowledge to a collection of unverified forecasting claims.

Keywords:

traditional ecological knowledge; indigenous knowledge; animal bioindicators; ethnozoology; weather forecasting; rainfall prediction; seasonal forecasting; Maharashtra; monsoon; climate adaptation

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