Different entities that make up the project COMET-LA, "participatory community management of environmental challenges in Latin America", visit during the August field actions of the three case of studies analyzed: water management and biodiversity in Colombia , forest management in Mexico and coastal and marine management in Argentina.
During this field visit, we will work with local people in participatory workshops in order to characterize the current and future situations of socio-ecological systems of everyone. Also conducted meetings with key economic and political actors of the three countries to explain the importance of analyzing the challenges that are undergoing natural resources against the advance of climate change and create synergies with key decision makers.
The COMET-LA, funded by the 7 th Framework Programme of the European Commission, aims at analyzing the problems of social-ecological systems, identify good environmental practices that are performed locally and create tools that enable both these communities as others who face similar situations, manage and mitigate the effects caused by climate change.
Field work will begin in the state of Oaxaca, particularly in Santiago Comaltepec, an indigenous community that has made the process of claiming collective ownership of natural resources and has a sustainable forest management system certified by the Board of Directors Forest (FSC). Among the issues to be addressed highlights the problem of deforestation, since Mexico has one of the highest rates of destruction of the forest area.
The team will travel to Colombia to work with the Community Councils of the Black Communities of the Upper and Middle Dagua, and the Bajo Calima, located in the Cauca Valley. Colombia with only 0.8% of the world, is ranked as one of the 17 most biodiverse countries in the world. However, many conflicts connected with the access and use of natural resources are present in this territory, for example, illegal logging, mining, the presence of illicit crops and armed groups. COMET-LA will contribute to the empowerment of local communities and provide them with tools and capabilities to deal with these situations.
Finally, be addressed to the estuary of Bahia Blanca in the province of Buenos Aires (Argentina), working alongside with the inhabitants of the towns of Pehuén Co, Monte Hermoso, General Cerri, Punta Alta and White Engineer to identify the problems coastal and marine management in the area. The purpose of these actions will be to develop an integrated coastal management with the active participation of users of the estuary.
In the COMET-LA project led by the University of Córdoba, involving the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the Civil Association for Rural Studies and Advisory Campesina, the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, the Community Councils of the Black Communities of the Basin Calima River Lower and Upper and Middle Dagua, Argentine Institute of Oceanography (CONICET-UNS), Fundación Aquamarina-Cecim, the Norwegian Institute of Luftforskning, The James Hutton Institute in the UK, the Portuguese company Sagremarisco-Viveiros de Marisco Ltd. and the Spanish Committee of IUCN.
More information:
www.comet-la.eu
