Context:
In the Amazon, the world’s largest tropical forest region, climate change is causing droughts, floods and forest fires more and more frequently. This is threatening the livelihoods of traditional communities such as river dwellers, rubber tappers and smallholder farmers. These communities have extensive experience in sustainably managing ecosystems and coping with environmental changes. To adapt to the negative impacts of climate change, they require state support, climate information, appropriate skills and opportunities for participation. To preserve the tropical forest and the livelihoods of local people, local communities’ resilience to the impacts of climate change must be strengthened and their traditional knowledge incorporated into national climate policy.
Objective:
Traditional communities in the Amazon region of Brazil are better adapted to climate change.
approach:
The project advises environmental agencies, local authorities and traditional communities on how to further develop and implement adaptation programmes. This includes training courses, organisational and process advisory services, and the development of jointly agreed procedures for climate risk management. The project also contributes to improving the capacities and cooperation of state and local institutions, and to establishing local climate resilience committees. Furthermore, the project supports people in pilot areas in mitigating climate risks, for example through forest fire prevention and reforestation.