Local communities’ climate change adaptation strategies

What is it about?

Climate change has affected local biodiversity across the world, negatively impacting the sustenance of people who depend on it to earn a living. One such example is of the agricultural communities in the Amazon region. In a survey, researchers attempted to construct seasonal calendars, understand how climatic patterns affected traditional work-related activities, and identify any climate change adaptation strategies that residents of communities in the mid-Solimões River basin (Amazonas, Brazil) had adopted. They conducted semi-structured interviews within three flood-plain and three paleo-floodplain (located at a higher level than the floodplains) communities. They found that during extreme climate events, residents adjusted their sustenance activities to avoid stress to fruit-bearing trees; prioritized flood-resilient crops like açaí do mato (Euterpe precatoria), camu-camu, and buriti (Mauritia flexuosa) or fast-growing plants like yam (Dioscorea sp.), watermelon, and melon; and worked in less damaged areas. Communities in the lower-lying floodplains, especially, had some unique adaptation practices, like building of small soil mounds to cultivate crops for home gardening.

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Photo by Ivars Utināns on Unsplash

Photo by Ivars Utināns on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Local communities are close-knit and often face difficulties together. They have adaptation practices that are unique to their problems and help them cope with any disturbances. Locals of Amazonia recognized climate patterns. They also understood that their livelihood was affected because their own indigenous knowledge was not enough to cope with extreme weather events and felt that they would benefit from collaborating with other communities facing the same issues. KEY TAKEAWAY The impact of climate change on the livelihoods of agricultural communities is expected to only increase with time, and residents of these communities will need support to cope with this change. Hence, the documentation and sharing of adaptation strategies between communities can increase their resilience, safeguarding them from threat due to extreme climate events.