SouthSouthNorth and local partners are addressing climate threats to coastal communities by (a) developing methodologies to facilitate effective communication between local communities and experts in the fields of climate, marine sciences, and agriculture, and (b) generating information regarding climate change vulnerabilities in the coastal area of Pilang. This information will be used to develop adaptation strategies for the target population.

Agriculture is the main source of livelihoods for rural communities in the Bundelkhand region of India. The region however faces a number of natural constraints such as erratic rainfall, low soil fertility, soil erosion, limited irrigation facilities and degraded forests. These constraints adversely affect the agricultural production and livelihoods in the region. In addition, projected water stresses due to climate change are likely to further worsen the situation.

The impact of climate change and El Niño is increasingly causing coral reefs to bleach. WWF’s Friends of the Reef project is an effort to protect Asia Pacific’s coral reef ecosystems, which are the source of new coral recruits for reefs throughout the region and a source of livelihood for coastal people, especially in the fishery and tourism sectors. Friends of the Reef engages local stakeholders and decision makers in developing, testing, and implementing plans to increase coral reef resilience to major threats in the region, including climate change.

The Analog Forestry Initiative focuses on protection of watersheds, revegetation of the riversides, and adaptation activities such as crop diversification with emphasis on permanent crops. In the forest realm, the project designs Analog Forests using a diversity of species (especially those with broader geographical ranges) capable of supplying the environmental needs of the community in the event of climatic changes. It also establishes tree nurseries as spaces for researching the adaptation of species.

Following the floods of 2002, the Costa Rican Red Cross initiated a community training program in disaster preparedness and prevention, community first aid, and psychological support.  The idea of an early warning system was presented to communities with the understanding that the communities themselves would operate and follow through with the system.  Building materials were distributed to support structures such as retaining walls and for repairing drinking-water pipes damaged in the landslide.  Meanwhile, local authorities established an emergency committee to coordinate disaster respon

The páramo grasslands of the Northern Andes are fragile ecosystems vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Continued deterioration of these high-elevation wetlands will lead to significant environmental and socioeconomic impacts for downstream water users. This WWF project will develop a pilot vulnerability assessment and adaptation strategy for the Chilí and Anaime páramos in the central Colombian Andes, where rice and coffee are grown and the city of Ibagué is located. These communities depend upon the water provided by these wetlands.

This women-led project will address drought in Pintadas, Brazil by improving agricultural productivity and income generation through the use of water pumping.  SouthSouthNorth and local partners are installing a number of different hydroponic solar powered installations to see their effectiveness as a mitigation and adaptation strategy and to improve rural economic development. Link to Source

Due to the pressures from increased demand for bamboo resources (over-harvesting) and decreasing stock (as a result of climatic changes), bamboo resources in Eastern Bhutan are declining steadily.  Consequently, local people have taken measures to reduce pressures on this important resource, which is used for house construction, agriculture tools, mats, baskets, water/wine/milk/butter containers, and other household items.  Some species such as Dendrocalamus hamiltonii are planted in the fields to provide bamboo shoots for household consumption as vegetables.  In order to enhance the regene

Bamboo stem is used to store and provide water for mandarin and areca nut plants during the dry season of the year.

This project, led by SouthSouthNorth and Caritas, has five objectives. The first is to build community partnerships and engage stakeholders in preparing for climate change. To complete this objective, the project will conduct surveys and hold workshops on the topic. The second objective is to  identify vulnerable groups and specific vulnerabilities, as well as identifying existing coping strategies and local knowledge that can be drawn on to counter these vulnerabilities.