With the objective of increasing the resilience of the inhabitants to the impact of climate change and mitigating the effects, the international project Ecosystem–based Adaptation (Eba) and forest restoration in vulnerable rural communities within the Caribbean Biological Corridor is implemented in the Cuban easternmost region.
Sponsored by the German organizations Oro Verde, World Aid against Hunger and the International Climate Initiative, this project is carried out over a period of 7 years in the Baconao Biosphere Reserve, belonging to Santiago de Cuba; in the Alejandro de Humboldt National Park, which includes areas of Guantanamo and Holguín, and in the Cuchillas del Toa Biosphere Reserve, in general.
Gerardo Begué Quiala, project coordinator, explains the essential component of training to families in the benefited areas to achieve better management of the environment with the protection of soils, forests, rivers, flora and fauna species, in order to preserve the ecosystem services that nature provides.
Known as “Resilient Caribbean Communities”, this project has an inclusive approach, incorporating women, people with disabilities and other inhabitants of the communities to train them in the use of agroecological practices that allow the diversification of crops, in favor of local self-sufficiency.
The application of the “Resilient Caribbean Communities” project in Guantanamo and other areas of Eastern Cuba has been underway since 2020 in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, to increase the resilience and adaptability of the people and ecosystems, thus improving the livelihoods of the rural population at the same time, partner countries where the effects of climate change are plainly visible.
Translated by Liubis Balart Martínez
