Mountain communities took climate change adaptation into their own hands.
Our project trained
21 graduating seniors from The
Santiago Antunez de Mayolo National University of Ancash (UNASAM) in environmental sciences, economy and agronomy. These students’ research produced crucial information for local governments, and it was used to design public investment projects for irrigation and ecosystem restoration. With technical assistance from Instituto de Montaña, students and faculty developed new smart phone apps to assess water quality and access climate data and forecasting.
Information produced by this local, mountain university now supports public investments on water security in Peru.
The Ancash Region developed its
Regional Environmental Information System (SIAR) using data generated through UNASAM university. Our project data plus this info from UNASAM was compiled into
GIS Atlases for the three Municipal Commonwealths supported by our project. These atlases provide an integrated perspective on climate, ecosystems, natural resources and local economic development. This integrated information is also accessible in
Esri ArcGIS Story Maps®.
Public service officials trained in public investment project design produced
irrigation and ecosystem service investments that respond to climate change impacts and are aligned with local priorities.
Six public investment projects worth $15.2 millions were produced as an outcome of our training. Once implemented, these projects will be among the first examples of investments in ‘green’ infrastructure in Peru. They have been adopted for funding by national public funds like Sierra Azul and the provinces of Recuay and Huaraz.
Ancash developed its Regional Climate Change Strategy, a policy framework that enhances the volume of public funds directed to increase irrigation, ecosystem services, and early warning systems among other water security projects.
Aligned with the Regional Climate Change Strategy and with project support, the Regional Government established a
Compensation for Ecosystem Services Platform and two pilot projects in ecosystem service compensation: one in Quillcayhuanca, the valley above the city of Huaraz, and another in Buin, a major provider of water for irrigation users in the upper and lower Santa River basin.
41 women leaders trained to promote public investment in local projects. These women serve on municipal councils and grassroots organizations. They raised $88,000 dollars from their local governments to address the needs of rural women affected by climate change.
The 3 municipal commonwealths we worked with now have
Territorial Adaptation Plans that incorporate community-level priorities and technical information generated by students in the public university.
69 AGRORURAL staff were trained to design participatory Community Adaptation Plans. As Ancash’s leading public agricultural extension agency,
AGRORURAL, together with IdM, produced 8 community-level adaptation plans. These plans guide public investment at the district level so that funds respond better to climate change impacts identified by rural communities.
Water quality remediation experiments were conducted by 3 local research groups. The results included improved forage production and better weatherized homes in high-altitude herding areas plus tourism products. These experiments identified local priorities and triggered local entrepreneurship to develop native solutions to climate change. The bioremediation solution established in the village of Canrey Chico was replicated by users of Shallap–a bigger irrigation system above Huaraz. The example set by these 3 research groups inspired other communities to join them, establishing AICA–
Ancash’s Association of Peasant Researchers.
Implementation of 6 community-level projects has begun guided by community adaptation plans. Their priority response to climate change is fixing existing irrigation systems and improving the efficiency of water use. With technical assistance provided by our project and proper organization, they were able to access small funds and materials support from their district representatives.