The Richtersveld World Heritage Site (RWHS) in South Africa is home to the Indigenous Nama people, living in and nearby the park. Climate change threatens the habitats of these communities whose livelihoods and culture depend on natural resources found in their traditional lands. The goal of this program is to scale capacity building for climate adaptation in some of South Africa's oldest and most vulnerable Indigenous tribes to achieve current and long-term climate resilience.
In Southern Africa, local Indigenous communities especially women, youth and elderly face climate disasters that threaten their survival. Indigenous peoples have contributed the least to climate change and suffer the worst impacts. A recent study found climate change is disproportionately affecting the Nama living outside the Richtersveld National Park. As drought and other pressures threaten their survival, increased resource use occurs inside the Park impacting natural resources and cultures.
Our project will provide the delivery of basic climate change education, how to deal with climate disasters and implement adaptation strategies. This program will involve community engagement and dialogue on current and future risks to enable us to be responsive to current and urgent needs while also developing a preparedness with the community. Through community engagement, we will identify baseline knowledge and best-practices to implement climate resilience plans with affected communities.
The Resilience Institute works with world-class partners to achieve long-term climate resilience in Indigenous communities and their habitats around the world. With your support, we will provide long-term action plans for sustainable land use and healthier lifestyles with long-term beneficiaries including; farmers, school groups, cultural groups, youth and women's groups. Our project contributes to the and the UNFCCC Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples' Platform under the Paris Agreement.
