IPCCA Indigenous Peoples’ Biocultural Climate Change Assessment An indigenous model for biocultural assessments Alejandro Argumedo Asociación ANDES Cusco, Peru

Overview Background and context of the IPCCA Building a biocultural assessment Guiding concepts Methodology Progress to date Key lessons from the IPCCA

Context Climate change is an emergent global phenomenon with local impacts on ecosystems and people Living in fragile ecosystems with an intimate relationship with their territories, indigenous peoples are at the frontlines of climate change The IPCCA is an indigenous response to the narrow mainstream approach to CC which falls short - illustrated by the failure of Copenhagen, top-down approaches and a growth in alternative, grass roots movements Thus far there has been little inclusion of local processes – both for understanding how they link to global processes in climate change and to build appropriate mitigation and adaptation strategies The value of indigenous knowledge in understanding local processes and how they link to the global has been ignored thus far Need to add something on the value/importance of TK

IPCCA as a response The IPCCA aims to contribute through: Providing a deeper understanding of local processes and how they relate to climate change Developing locally sound mitigation and adaptation responses, feeding into effective policies across scales It is entirely indigenous led and managed by a Steering Committee of indigenous leaders First local biocultural climate change evaluations began in 2009 – today there are 9 underway in a diversity of biocultural systems

A biocultural approach Indigenous peoples view the world holistically Physical, biological, cultural and spiritual spheres of life are all interconnected and are understood as one system Quechua example – different ayllus and sacred principles that govern relationships The focus of such a worldview and engagement with the cosmos is on relationships and processes – this can be called a biocultural approach Biocultural diversity is a ‘product’ of the relationship - by focusing on it as a resource to be conserved it is objectified and comodified An indigenous biocultural approach is born of an indigenous holistic understanding and practical engagement with territory as well as with rights and responsabilities

Biocultural concepts The IPCCA conceptual framework which guides local biocultural assessments is based around four pillars: An indigenous understanding of well-being as a practical philosophy of life to nurture balanced relationships of all elements within a holistic world – this is called Buen Vivir Maintaining and nurturing a balanced relationship requires system resilience, which is achieved through processes that enable interactions between social, cultural, physical and spiritual aspects of life Drivers of change that impact upon the biocultural system are ethical/moral, anthropogenic or earthy A local process for understanding change and impacts must use local methods and frameworks – leading to empowerment and supporting decolonisation

The IPCCA Conceptual Framework Key Concepts

Buen Vivir Holistic world Interculturality Livelihoods Reciprocal relationships Local interactions with and within ecosystems Respecting different epistemologies, cultures, demographics Ensuring liberation and equality in social improvement and livelihoods approach Self-determination Participatory democracy

Indigenous Resilience Indigenous resilience is the capacity of a biocultural system to proactively engage with change and complexity in order to ensure Buen Vivir “to be indigenous is to be resilient” It is accomplished through: Land/territories Collective practices Traditional Institutions Customary Law Spiritual and Ethically-based rights and responsibilities Indigenous resilience is more than socio-ecological resilience because it is accomplished through a holistic process of biocultural systems Seria bueno tener una “definicion”/concepto que de base a estos contenidos

Drivers across scales ETHICAL DRIVERS WAKA AYLLU SALLQA AYLLU EARTHY DRIVERS ANTHROPOGENIC DRIVERS RUNA AYLLU

Biocultural Methodology Local biocultural assessments that aim to build deep understanding of local processes in relation to climate change use a combined emancipatory, participatory and indigenous methodology Uses local methods based on IK Example of the Potato Park – how it developed the methodology to meet the goals of a biocutlural assessment

Progress to Date Local Assessments Methodologies workshop 9 sites in a diversity of biocultural systems Using an IPCCA methodological toolkit to guide assessment processes State of the Assessments Report by Sep 2010 Focusing on IK of climate and weather Build coherence and methodology All local assessments were present Built common platform for assessment results Create a network of indigenous peoples furthering their biocultural approach

Key Lessons Indigenous knowledge and practices of the communities involved in the local assessment sites enable communities to forecast the onset of extreme weather and climate events, relying predominantly on local environmental changes. Such knowledge and practices are vital tools that should be incorporated in the formulation of human induced climate change adaptation strategies. A biocultural assessment is able to provide viable local adaptation and mitigation alternatives that enhance local well-being Local biocultural approaches (which are holistic) are able to link into wider scales for responses and policy development – it bridges the local with the global

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