Building livelihood resilience to climate change in the upper basins of Guatemala’s highlands

Protecting ecosystems and livelihoods in the highlands of Guatemala through better watershed management.

Increasing global temperatures change the composition of ecosystems. In Guatemala, particularly in areas higher than 1,800 meters above sea level, it is projected that the changing climate will drastically affect ecosystems resulting to hydrological cycle changes, increases in invasive species, and higher frequencies of fires, pests, and diseases. This is especially difficult for highland communities who depend on a balanced ecosystem for their livelihoods such as farming. 

This project aims to reduce the impacts of climate change on the hydrological cycle in target highland watersheds through improved land use practices. It will introduce physical and technical capacities to better equip government and target communities to make climate-smart decisions and to conduct restoration interventions at the landscape level. These will lead to improved water recharge and will contribute to the people’s resilience to climate change.

The project has an estimated lifespan of 7 years.