Biocultural Resilience Project strengthens work in territories of Guatemala

• Visits in Alta Verapaz and Chiquimula promote coordination with communities and local actors to advance solutions to climate change 

The Biocultural Resilience Project team recently carried out a field mission in Guatemala, with an agenda of technical meetings and field visits in the territories of Senahú, in Alta Verapaz, and Olopa, in Chiquimula, with the objective of strengthening the participatory implementation of the project together with communities, cooperatives, and institutional stakeholders. 

In Alta Verapaz, coordination spaces were held with project partners, including the Federation of Cooperatives of the Verapaces, Limited (FEDECOVERA, R.L.), the Center for Environmental Studies and Biodiversity of the University of the Valley of Guatemala (CEAB-UVG), the Ch’ortí’ Regional Peasant Association (ASORECH), CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center), and the University of Greenwich in the United Kingdom.  

During these meetings, progress in implementation was assessed, and knowledge and experience exchange with local actors was promoted. In addition, consultations were held with Q’eqchi’ cooperatives in Senahú to understand how climate variability affects them and how to prepare for future extreme environmental changes. In total, more than 60 people participated in these activities. 

The field mission continued in Olopa, Chiquimula, where the team visited Las Palmas village. In this territory, field plots were toured to share measurements carried out in the evaluated production systems, as well as to discuss the climate challenges faced by the community, particularly in relation to water access and the sustainability of coffee crops. 

Likewise, an experience-sharing workshop was held, bringing together 29 participants, including community members and representatives from institutions such as MAGA, ASOVERDE, Municipality of Chiquimula, SEGEPLAN, CUNORI, ASEDECHI, and ACCH, along with the technical team from CATIE, the University of the Valley of Guatemala, ASORECH, and the University of Greenwich.  

During the session, the importance of strengthening inter-institutional coordination to effectively respond to the impacts of climate change was highlighted. 

“This process makes it possible to integrate local knowledge with scientific research, strengthening decision-making in the territories and promoting solutions adapted to community realities,” said Erick López, CEAB-UVG researcher. 

As next steps, the project will advance in the second phase of field data collection, as well as in the implementation of community activities aimed at recognizing concepts from the local worldview and promoting participatory planning processes that contribute to climate resilience. 

The project is funded by the Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate (GCBC), through the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) of the United Kingdom Government.