Climate change is a multiplier of challenges, so how can we adapt in the high mountains of Colombia?

The Colombian high-mountain region is constantly affected by the advance of urban footprints and the expansion of the agricultural frontier, which significantly contribute to the loss of biodiversity and the ecosystem services provided by the páramos. Additionally, the impacts of climate change are an external factor that threatens the health of ecosystems and the viability of many livelihoods in the high mountains. The role of these ecosystems is economically crucial for the country, among other reasons, because they supply water to the metropolitan area of Bogotá. They are a key element in capturing rainwater and regulating surface runoff that feeds the numerous rivers and streams in this area. Moreover, these ecosystems have a high carbon storage capacity, fixing it in the soil.

The high-mountain communities that depend on these ecosystem services are fragile and vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Therefore, they need to be able to identify and prioritize adaptation measures to respond to these impacts. In this sense, adaptation should be understood as a process of changing awareness where nature and local communities are fundamental subjects for regional development. The communities within the landscape of the Chingaza-Sumapaz-Guerrero páramos, for example, possess a historical and cultural heritage that is enriched by new knowledge about the implications of climate change in this region. This knowledge is the basis for facilitating autonomous adaptation processes led by the communities.

What would a long-term transformative adaptive process look like?

Between 2015 and 2020, the project “Adaptation to Climate Change Impacts on Water Regulation and Supply for the Chingaza-Sumapaz-Guerrero Area” was carried out. It allowed the design and implementation of measures to increase the climate resilience of socio-ecological systems, including both the ecosystems and the communities that coexist with them and whose livelihoods depend on them.

A key aspect of this successful project was the communities’ ownership and leadership in identifying climate risks and implementing specific adaptation actions to reduce these risks. These actions included, among others, the restoration and conservation of the ecosystems they live in and that play a role in water capture and regulation in the high mountains.

Similarly, the participation and support of territorial and environmental authorities were crucial to developing transformative adaptation measures in the region. The use of modeling tools, methodologies for socialization, data analysis, climate information, and socioeconomic characterization of the area helped identify critical areas for water supply intervention. Lessons were also identified for the sustainability of rehabilitation and ecological restoration activities and sustainable rural development.

Here are three adaptation measures that emerged from the project, developed after identifying the potential impacts of climate change and the vulnerabilities to them:

1. Restoration, recovery, and ecological rehabilitation to reduce climate impacts on water regulation, biodiversity, and rural production.
   
   Biodiversity loss exacerbates climate change. Promoting its restoration is an important adaptation measure for the high-mountain ecosystem. Conservation measures for vegetation remnants were identified, isolating activities that could deteriorate forest fragments, shrubs, grasslands, frailejones, reeds, and herbaceous plants. Implementing fencing installations helps protect native vegetation remnants.
   
   
2. Adaptation of productive systems to reduce the impact of climate change on water regulation.
   
   Protecting the planet to ensure food security is essential. The autonomy of families in this regard is fundamental in the high mountains. Therefore, the food production system must be strengthened with a “sustainable farm” approach. This involved the gradual management of agroecosystems with practices that improved soil (nutrient and energy flow) to enhance agroecosystem functionality in the long term and reduce water consumption, thereby strengthening food security. These activities were combined with ecosystem restoration actions to improve rainfall capture and regulation.
   
   
3. Efficient water use to reduce the impact of climate change on productive, social, and ecological dynamics.
   
   Measures such as rainwater storage are critical to maintaining water supply for productive needs. This action allows the efficient use of natural resources against climate impacts such as temperature changes and increased precipitation variability. The project implemented an intra-farm irrigation system to sustain agricultural production during drought events and periods.

Effective communication and connection are the backbone

Communication was a fundamental tool throughout the project. It contributed to efficient information and knowledge transfer to local communities and all project participants. This resulted in successful experiences in managing adaptation to climate variability and change. Dialogue with entities, communities, and decision-makers facilitated empowerment and behavioral change. This interactive process developed messages tailored to each stakeholder to achieve better results and actions that benefited the communities.

Partnerships for climate change adaptation

This project achieved a transformational change for the beneficiaries and the involved institutions and partners, developing an intervention methodology that can be replicated in other projects, both nationally and internationally. Establishing strategic alliances was key to this success. Notably, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) provided financial resources, with the IDB as the implementing agency and the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development as the executing agency, supported by Conservation International.

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About the GEF: GEF-funded projects are managed by designated agencies in partnership with governments and local organizations. This model supports efficiency and knowledge sharing. The GEF also plays an important role uniting and convening donor and recipient countries, international organizations, and civil society around priority issues.