For centuries, tribal and indigenous communities have relied on natural resources to sustain their families, communities, traditional ways of life, and cultural identities. This relationship with both land and water ecosystems makes indigenous people and cultures particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. In 2015, the Southwest Climate Science Center partnered with the University of Arizona Center for Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions (CCASS) to develop regional capacity for engagement with tribes to support climate change adaptation.
CCASS is now building on the success of the
2015 project and is strengthening partnerships to support the climate adaptation capacity of tribes in the Southwest. CCASS is identifying collaborative networks among researchers, tribal members, and other partners and is supporting outreach and extension work related to tribes in climate adaptation planning and implementation. CCASS is also planning to build on a meeting held in 2015 and hold a 2nd meeting with adaptation practitioners who specialize in tribal climate adaptation to share experiences, build capacity, promote collaboration and share best practices among several groups. CCASS will also continue to work with the Desert Landscape Conservation Cooperative to support scenario planning and landscape-scale adaptation planning efforts.
