CATIE specialists conduct first climate vulnerability workshop in Pinar del Río, Cuba

• CATIE, along with Cuba's Indio Hatuey Experimental Station, are leading the CIENPINOS project to face the challenges of climate change

July 17, 2023. The western Cuban province of Pinar del Río has hosted the first Climate Vulnerability Workshop, a training event where specialists from the Climate Action Unit (CAU) of CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center), shared and presented the concepts underpinning climate vulnerability research as part of the implementation of the CIENPINOS project in Cuba.

This project is geared towards mitigating and adapting to climate change, strengthening proposals for sustainable and inclusive economic development based on nature in the provinces of Pinar del Río and Cienfuegos.

The workshop, which included participation from local experts from the municipalities of Viñales and La Palma, had the primary goal of preparing facilitators and developing the methodology for gathering information on climate vulnerability.

Yandri Jesús Muñoz, one of the workshop participants, emphasized the importance of training local experts in the methodology of the studies, since "we have the mission of successfully guiding the working tables," Muñoz mentioned.

During the workshop, the characteristics of production systems, vulnerabilities faced by producers, natural resources, land possession and use, and management systems of crops and farm animals, among other factors, were described and mapped.

Lenin Corrales, a specialist from the CAU of CATIE, said that the search for data and the adoption of routes to confront the adversities caused by climate change in different ecosystems will be key to achieving a balance between the adaptation and mitigation of climate change.

The workshop hosted more than 40 people, including facilitators and local stakeholders. Isyoel Urrutia, director of the Municipal University Center (MUC), highlighted that this type of initiative will contribute to the development of the municipality, since with all the gathered information better decisions can be made; furthermore, they will be of great help to the university and its students.

The first Climate Vulnerability Workshop concluded successfully in Pinar del Río, and it is hoped that the data collected by the CATIE specialists will be useful for decision-making by municipal authorities in the development of communities.

Facilitator team of the workshop

The team of specialists from CATIE's CAU who taught the workshop in Pinar del Río consisted of Lenin Corrales, Andrea Zamora, Allan Guerrero, and Juliana Chávez.

For the CIENPINOS project, the workshop was led by Ismael Hernández, international coordinator; Tania Sánchez, director for Cuba; as well as Mildrey Soca and Dariel de León, leaders of the training and climate governance components, respectively.

CIENPINOS is executed by CATIE, implemented by Cuba's Indio Hatuey Experimental Station (EEIH), and funded by Swedish Cooperation.

• Photography: Ernesto Rivero and CIENPINOS management team.