Mobilizing Indigenous and Local Knowledge Solutions: Addressing Climate Impacts and Vulnerabilities

The UNESCO-sponsored regional workshop “Mobilizing indigenous and local knowledge solutions: addressing climate impacts and vulnerabilities” provides a platform for a Caribbean-wide overview of how indigenous and local knowledge is used to address the impacts of climate change. Indigenous peoples and local communities are invited to share their experiences of anticipating and responding to different climate impacts including extreme weather events.

Like other Small Island Developing States (SIDS) regions, the Caribbean is already feeling the impacts of climate change, including more extreme weather, rising sea levels, coastal erosion, salination of drinking water, coral bleaching and death, ocean acidification and other ecosystemic and biological impacts.
Caribbean local and indigenous communities are on the frontline of these impacts. Their knowledge and experiences provide insights into what environmental and scientific policies and actions are needed to foster resilience across the region.

In this context, the UNESCO-sponsored regional workshop “Mobilizing indigenous and local knowledge solutions: addressing climate impacts and vulnerabilities” provides a platform for a Caribbean-wide overview of how indigenous and local knowledge is used to address the impacts of climate change. The workshop proposes to focus on local and indigenous knowledge of the following themes:

A. Livelihoods of indigenous peoples and local communities of the Caribbean;
B. Observing and understanding impacts of climate change, including extreme events;
C. Mobilizing indigenous and local knowledge in Caribbean climate change adaptation;
D. Case studies of risk reduction, boosting ecosystem resilience, coping and recovery strategies;
E. Multistakeholder partnerships in support of indigenous knowledge in climate change policy – Best cases and challenges