Submitted by andrea on Tue, 2010-02-23 08:22
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Summary:
Summary

In the remote village of Guarita in Honduras, traditional techniques have become the starting point for climate change adaptation. The village was one of the few places in the region that successfully avoided the worst destruction from Hurricane Mitch in 1998. The traditional Quezungal farming methods that are practiced by the local villagers protected the upper catchment and only 10% of crops were lost. Traditional farming in this area involves planting crops under trees whose roots anchor the soil, pruning vegetation to provide nutrients to the soil and conserve soil water, and terracing to reduce soil erosion. On the other hand, methods that are taught at agricultural colleges and then applied to the surrounding areas are damaging as they are more suited for the plains rather than farmland in hill terrain. The traditional Quezungal method avoids widespread slash and burn techniques and also improves soil fertility. The success in the village is being actively promoted by the Government of Honduras in collaboration with the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation.

Further information:
International Union for Conservation of Nature (2008). Indigenous and Traditional Peoples and Climate Change. http://cmsdata.iucn. org/downloads/indigenous_peoples_climate_ change.pdf.
From Bergkamp, G., Orlando, B., and Burton, I. 2003. Change – Adaptation of water resources management to climate change. IUCN, Gland from Gunson, P. 1998.
Honduran Villagers Survived Mitch with a Method as old as the Hills.`` The Guardian. January 23. http://data.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/ edocs/2003-004.pdf

External Resources:
UNU-IAS Traditional Knowledge Initiative
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Regional Information:

Latin America and the Caribbean

This very diverse region includes Central and South America, and ranges from the Chilean deserts, to the tropical rainforests of Brazil and Ecuador, to the high altitudes of the Peruvian Andes. In the five Latin American countries with the largest indigenous populations (Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Peru), Indigenous Peoples represent 10% of the region’s population and the largest disadvantaged group in Latin America. In some countries, Indigenous Peoples represent a significant share of the population (in Bolivia, for example, they are the majority). As elsewhere, Indigenous Peoples’ use of biodiversity is central to environmental management and livelihoods. According to IPCC AR4 predictions, annual precipitation is likely to decrease in most of Central America and in the southern Andes, although changes in atmospheric circulation may induce large local variability in precipitation response in mountainous areas. Winter precipitation in Tierra del Fuego and summer precipitation in southeastern South America is likely to increase. Sea levels are likely to rise on average during the century around the small islands of the Caribbean Sea and Indian Ocean and all are very likely to warm during this century. Summer rainfall in the Caribbean is likely to decrease in the vicinity of the Greater Antilles but changes elsewhere and in winter are uncertain. Annual rainfall is likely to increase in the northern Indian Ocean.

Reference Details:

Galloway McLean, Kirsty (2009)
Advance Guard: Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation, Mitigation and Indigenous Peoples – A Compendium of Case Studies.
United Nations University – Traditional Knowledge Initiative, Darwin, Australia.
ISBN: 978-0-9807084-4-8 (print)
978-0-9807084-5-5 (pdf)
Copyright (c) 2009 UNU-IAS
All rights reserved

UNU-IAS Traditional Knowledge Initiative
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Tel: +61-8-8946-6792/7652
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Email: tki@ias.unu.edu
Web: http://www.unutki.org/

Advance Guard Details:

This case study was extracted from the UNU Advance Guard: Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation, Mitigation and Indigenous Peoples Compendium of Case Studies. The compendium presents a wide-ranging overview of more than 400 projects, case studies and research activities specifically related to climate change and Indigenous Peoples. It provides a sketch of the climate and environmental changes, local observations and impacts being felt by communities in different regions, and outlines various adaptation and mitigation strategies that are currently being implemented by Indigenous Peoples – the world’s “advance guard” of climate change – as they use their traditional knowledge and survival skills to trial adaptive responses to change.

Indigenous Peoples from all regions of the world have an identity and culture that depends upon the natural environment. Their rich and detailed traditional knowledge reflects and embodies a cultural and spiritual relationship with the land, ocean and wildlife. However, as human activity is changing the world’s climate it alters the natural environment to which Indigenous Peoples are so closely attached and on which they so heavily rely. Reflecting their role as environmental stewards of the environment and drawing upon their traditional knowledge, Indigenous Peoples are at the vanguard of climate change. They have been among the first communities to actively engage with the impacts of climate change – through recording their observations of changes in the climate and its effect on the natural environment, through reaction to actions being taken by other countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (‘mitigation’), and through implementing their own activities to adjust to ongoing and potential effects of climate change (‘adaptation’).

Entries in this compendium have been drawn following a review of major international reports and organisations, as well as both local and global assessments on the impact of climate change on Indigenous Peoples and their ways of life, case study databases, meeting reports, studies and reviews, web resources, and other reports. Where appropriate, this was supplemented by direct communication with indigenous organisations reporting on-the-ground impacts. Whilst the compendium does not claim to provide an exhaustive list of ongoing activities related to climate change and Indigenous Peoples, it does contain a representative and illustrative survey of current effects and adaptive responses.

Selection criteria:

(a) Relevance to climate change
(b) Relevance to Indigenous Peoples