Farmers’ adaptation to climate variability and land use change in protected areas
Adaptation strategies tend to be defined and assessed based on their effects on improving livelihoods. However, it is possible that adaptation also affects social-ecological resilience and farmers' adaptive capacity.
In this research project I analyze the unintended outcomes of strategies used by farmers to adapt to climate variability in a conservation hotspot shared by Mexico and Guatemala and in 55 internationally adjoining protected areas in the Americas.
Calakmul & Maya Biosphere Reserves
Vulnerable populations of farmers in these protected areas straddling the Mexico-Guatemala border have been affected by climate variability for the last decade. As a response to climate-related economic losses, farmers have implemented a range of adaptation strategies. I have analyzed whether those strategies contribute to deforestation. The analysis is based on in depth interviews with farmers from 46 communities from both countries and officials from organizations working on environment, agriculture and development agendas. Participant observation of decision making councils is another key element of this research.
My findings indicate that adaptation strategies can represent a larger risk of deforestation, as well as an opportunity for forest conservation. The ecological outcome of farmers' adaptation depends on the strategy chosen and the socioeconomic and institutional context within which farmers choose their adaptation strategies.
Internationally adjoining protected areas in the Americas-
To examine if the results obtained in the analysis of Calakmul and Maya Biosphere Reserves could be generalized I conducted a second study pursuing the same objective using data at the protected area level. I focused on Internationally Adjoining Protected Areas (IAPAs), such as Calakmul and the Maya Biosphere Reserve. To collect data from these areas I personally conducted phone interviews with the managers of 55 IAPAs throughout North and South America. The findings from this research are consistent with the results from Calakmul & Maya about the importance of farmers’ empowerment for the adoption of adaptation strategies associated with lower land use change. The results from these two research projects together suggest environmental policy can minimize the environmental impacts of climate adaptation and support social-ecological resilience by developing institutions and supporting governance mechanisms that facilitate farmers’ empowerment and participation in decision-making processes.
Publications:
Institutional legacies explain the comparative efficacy of protected areas: Evidence from the Calakmul and Maya Biosphere Reserve of Mexico and Guatemala.
Unintended outcomes of farmers' adaptation to climate variability: deforestation and conservation in Calakmul and Maya biosphere reserves.
Connecting climate social adaptation and land use change in internationally adjoining protected areas.