Abstract

FERNANDEZ-LLAMAZARES, Álvaro et al. Cambio climático y pueblos indígenas: Estudio de caso entre los Tsimane’, Amazonia boliviana. Revista Virtual REDESMA [online]. 2014, vol.7, n.1, pp. 110-119. ISSN 1995-1078.

Indigenous peoples are great observers of environmental changes. Therefore, they could also be potential allies to help map climate change at local and regional scales. Despite this, studies aimed at documenting traditional ethnoclimatic knowledge of indigenous peoples are still scarce, particularly in regions such as Amazonia. The present article aims to contribute to filling this gap by analyzing the climate change perceptions of the Tsimane', an indigenous society of huntergatherers and horticulturalists in Bolivian Amazonia. The results of this research show that the Tsimane' are perceiving different effects of climate change, especially a decrease in rainfall and a general increase in temperature, as well as changes in phenology and climate seasonality. Moreover, the Tsimane' are responding actively to this climatic variability: their ethnoclimatic knowledge and traditional subsistence practices constitute the assets of their adaptation strategies to face climate change. Understanding the perceptions, interpretations and responses of climate change by indigenous peoples represents an essential first step for incorporating them into the design and implementation of effective adaptation strategies at the local level.

Keywords : cambio climático; pueblos indígenas; etnoclimatología.