Peripheral inhabitants of Amazonian cities face a combination of environmental and climate problems. To avoid reinventing the wheel, the VCA Brazil’s Urban Engagement coalition, formed by the organizations Rede Interação and SOMECDH, created a platform for urban communities to share solutions to their climate problems. The platform also serves as a knowledge database that other communities can use to tackle their own climate change related challenges.
Urban inhabitants of the Amazon face problems common to many urban peripheries in Brazil – precarious housing, lack of sanitation, limited access to public services, and environmental risks such as flooding and landslides. Add to this deforestation and disorderly urban expansion. But Rede Interação and SOMECDH wanted to address these challenges.
A network for urban peripheries in the Amazon
With support from Hivos through the Voices for Just Climate Action program, Rede Interação (International Community Action Network) and SOMECHDH (Society, Environment, Education, Citizenship and Human Rights) worked in the peripheries of Belém and Santarém to amplify the voices of vulnerable communities and strengthen local civil society leadership in climate action. “We especially focus on women and young people, because of their transformative role within these territories,” says Andre Franco of Rede. “We believe that empowering them is essential to promoting sustainable change.”
“Climate change is one of the greatest threats to vulnerable communities,” Andre continues. “I’ve seen women transform their roles – within their families, communities, and cities – becoming agents of change and leaders in the fight for social and climate justice.” Through VCA, Rede Interação and SOMECDH supported and trained women directly, which helped them become leaders, crucial for community strengthening.
A platform for nature-based initiatives
As part of this project, the coalition launched a platform for Community-Based Nature Solutions (CBNS), which showcases traditional local ways of using and managing natural resources. It aims to help communities find ways to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
“Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) play an important role in sustainable management and use of natural resources in urban development,” says Andre. “However, we needed to incorporate ancestral knowledge to enhance the effects of NBS, which we did by creating Community-Based Nature Solutions (CBNS). Through this initiative, we aim to both highlight the strategic importance of ancestral knowledge found in communities and share examples of this knowledge as inspiration for other communities to find ways to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change.”
The platform collects and documents local initiatives. From floating bridges that adjust to the height of the river, to monitoring and maintenance of urban trees. And from the use of Açaí seeds (a leftover product) as construction material for buildings to an app that supports Indigenous Peoples in tracking illegal activities in the Amazon. “Supporting these initiatives is important because it empowers communities and reduces their dependence on public authorities,” Andre explains. “It increases their resilience and ensures that social and environmental achievements are sustainable in the long term.”
The Voices for Just Climate Action network
“Hivos and the Voices for Just Climate Action program connected us with a network of community organizations in the Amazon, which inspired and strengthened our work.” Andre now hopes, in partnership with SOMECDH, to expand their support for community projects throughout Brazil, strengthen partnerships, and advocate for more just and sustainable public policies.
