Document Offers Recommendations to Strengthen Climate Change Adaptation for Indigenous Peoples and Traditional Communities
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Brazil, in partnership with organizations from the Amazon and the Cerrado, is launching the document “Territories of Resilience”, an analysis of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) led by Indigenous Peoples, Quilombolas communities, and Traditional Communities (IPQTCs) in response to the climate crisis. The study highlights their potential for resistance and adaptation in the face of Brazil’s climate emergency. Scheduled for release on November 19 during COP30, the publication demonstrates how these communities have played a central role in developing solutions to mitigate the impacts of global warming and offers public managers a set of practical recommendations to align national policies with this reality.
The document identifies two priority strategic pillars. The first concerns the co-benefits between adaptation and mitigation, in which actions such as forest and watershed restoration or the adoption of agroforestry systems serve simultaneously as shields against climate impacts and as tools for carbon sequestration. The second focuses on Locally Led Adaptation (LLA) — an approach that grants autonomy and resources to communities while valuing their traditional knowledge, recognizing that they have been developing the most robust responses to climate change impacts.
The study was developed in partnership with IPQTCs and coordinated by Indufor, presenting ongoing local solutions. Examples include the Xavante people’s response to irregular rainfall through crop diversification to ensure food security; water management initiatives in the Tapajós Basin to cope with extreme droughts and fish mortality; and the resilience of Oiapoque communities against climate-driven agricultural pests. The document also highlights efforts to combat deforestation in the Terra do Meio region, under pressure from land grabbing and major infrastructure projects, as well as the Brazil nut crisis, in which the extreme drought of 2024 prompted innovations in community governance.
The study also points to challenges that must be overcome — notably, the difficulty of accessing financial resources. “Funds need to adapt to the territory; bureaucracy prevents Indigenous Peoples, especially women, from accessing resources,” says Telma Taurepang, from the Union of Indigenous Women of the Brazilian Amazon (UMIAB), in the publication. Her statement underscores one of the most pressing barriers to scaling up local adaptation.
In light of these findings, the document presents clear recommendations for public policy design, including:
Guarantee territorial rights as the foundation of adaptation. Accelerate the demarcation, titling, and effective protection of Indigenous Lands and Quilombola territories. Without territorial security, there can be no lasting climate adaptation.
Ensure direct, agile, and predictable financing for PIQCTs. Establish direct-access funding with simplified accountability and multi-year contracts (3–5 years). New mechanisms, such as the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF), should prioritize community-level flows, reduce intermediaries, and deliver funds quickly to the territories.
Scale up existing solutions. Support proven experiences — such as community fire brigades, fisheries agreements, agroecology, and extractivist networks — with additional resources for working capital, technical assistance, logistics, and infrastructure.
Integrate adaptation, restoration, and mitigation initiatives into public policies. Connect local actions to existing policies to ensure coherence, continuity, and scale for adaptation initiatives.
Strengthen institutional capacity and community governance. Allocate resources for local teams, communication, logistics, and the funding of meetings and training. Ensure the effective participation of women and youth as leaders and managers of adaptation.
Place PIQCTs at the center of decision-making and metrics. Guarantee voting seats in climate councils and funds. Use locally meaningful indicators — such as navigable days during the dry season, active brigade members, food deliveries to schools, or hectares restored — rather than distant or abstract metrics.
According to Rodrigo Spuri, TNC Brazil’s Director of Environmental Conservation, the study underscores a non-negotiable path: “This document makes clear the leadership of Indigenous Peoples and Traditional Communities in the adaptation agenda. The most effective and fair route to climate resilience lies in recognizing territorial rights and directly investing in the solutions that forest peoples are already implementing.”
The document concludes that adjusting funding flows, valuing community leadership, and ensuring territorial rights are not merely matters of justice — they are practical and urgent conditions for transforming local resilience into systemic resilience, benefiting people, biodiversity, and the planet’s climate.