Melissa is evidence of the climate crisis: in the Caribbean Biological Corridor, the CCR Project tackles these events for the benefit of local communities.

Phenomena such as Hurricane Melissa are a clear manifestation of the climate crisis affecting the Caribbean Biological Corridor. Today, October 24, International Day Against Climate Change, reminds us of the urgency of local and global action. The recent storm in the Dominican Republic is proof that extreme events are becoming more frequent, underscoring the vital need to protect ecosystems so that they can protect us.

In the Caribbean, the effects of global warming are palpable: rising temperatures, droughts, and floods that erode life and work in rural and coastal communities. These threats disproportionately affect populations that depend directly on natural resources. Among them, rural women face specific vulnerabilities due to their limited access to land, credit, and decision-making, in addition to the disproportionate burden of domestic responsibilities and resource care.

The Resilient Caribbean Communities Project (CCR), led by Welthungerhilfe in partnership with OroVerde and local partners in Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic, is positioned as a key initiative to mitigate these impacts. The CCR develops integrated actions that include ecosystem-based adaptation (EBA) territorial planning with local authorities, reforestation with native species, the establishment of community nurseries, the installation of rainwater harvesting systems and cisterns, the improvement of rural aqueducts, and the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices to ensure supply and income in the beneficiary communities.Phenomena such as Hurricane Melissa are a clear manifestation of the climate crisis affecting the Caribbean Biological Corridor. Today, October 24, International Day Against Climate Change, reminds us of the urgency of local and global action. The recent storm in the Dominican Republic is proof that extreme events are becoming more frequent, underscoring the vital need to protect ecosystems so that they can protect us.

In the Caribbean, the effects of global warming are palpable: rising temperatures, droughts, and floods that erode life and work in rural and coastal communities. These threats disproportionately affect populations that depend directly on natural resources. Among them, rural women face specific vulnerabilities due to their limited access to land, credit, and decision-making, in addition to the disproportionate burden of domestic responsibilities and resource care.

The Resilient Caribbean Communities Project (CCR), led by Welthungerhilfe in partnership with OroVerde and local partners in Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic, is positioned as a key initiative to mitigate these impacts. The CCR develops integrated actions that include ecosystem-based adaptation (EBA) territorial planning with local authorities, reforestation with native species, the establishment of community nurseries, the installation of rainwater harvesting systems and cisterns, the improvement of rural aqueducts, and the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices to ensure supply and income in the beneficiary communities.

The Ecosystem-Based Adaptation (EbA) measures promoted by the project restore and maintain the essential services that nature provides to communities. This includes reforestation of watersheds to improve water recharge; living barriers and anti-erosion ramps to conserve soil; and agroforestry and silvopastoral systems that diversify production and increase water retention. Alongside these actions, the CCR project promotes technical training, local governance networks, beekeeping, agricultural product processing, and forest and mangrove conservation. All these actions seek to mitigate extreme weather events and consolidate a comprehensive approach to resilience.

The impact reported by the project is significant and tangible. More than 2.2 million fruit and forest tree seedlings have been distributed and planted, and direct support has been provided to more than 2,000 rural households through AbE measures. Similarly, 756 households have improved their access to water, and around 2,600 hectares have been rehabilitated, reforested, and conserved. These benefits are consolidated because the initiatives are deeply participatory: producers, women, young people, and local authorities participate in the development and validation of EaB plans. The objective is to co-design climate change adaptation solutions together with communities, giving the environment the value and protection it needs and facilitating the ownership, sustainability, and replication of good practices. Currently, the project is developing replication models to make it easier for other municipalities to join this initiative.

International Climate Change Day should serve as a powerful call to action, as inaction is the greatest threat. The CCR project demonstrates that local, inclusive, nature-based solutions are not only effective but also replicable on a large scale. Therefore, greater commitment is required from governments, the private sector, and civil society to mobilize the financial and technical resources needed to scale up these initiatives. Only with a sustained commitment to mitigation and adaptation, driven from the local level and with a gender perspective, will it be possible to protect lives, livelihoods, and the irreplaceable biodiversity of the Caribbean.The Ecosystem-Based Adaptation (EBA) measures promoted by the project restore and maintain the essential services that nature provides to communities. This includes reforestation of watersheds to improve water recharge; living barriers and anti-erosion ramps to conserve soil; and agroforestry and silvopastoral systems that diversify production and increase water retention. Alongside these actions, the CCR project promotes technical training, local governance networks, beekeeping, agricultural product processing, and forest and mangrove conservation. All these actions seek to mitigate extreme weather events and consolidate a comprehensive approach to resilience.

The impact reported by the project is significant and tangible. More than 2.2 million fruit and forest tree seedlings have been distributed and planted, and direct support has been provided to more than 2,000 rural households through AbE measures. Similarly, 756 households have improved their access to water, and around 2,600 hectares have been rehabilitated, reforested, and conserved. These benefits are consolidated because the initiatives are deeply participatory: producers, women, young people, and local authorities participate in the development and validation of EaB plans. The objective is to co-design climate change adaptation solutions together with communities, giving the environment the value and protection it needs and facilitating the ownership, sustainability, and replication of good practices. Currently, the project is developing replication models to make it easier for other municipalities to join this initiative.

International Climate Change Day should serve as a powerful call to action, as inaction is the greatest threat. The CCR project demonstrates that local, inclusive, nature-based solutions are not only effective but also replicable on a large scale. Therefore, greater commitment is required from governments, the private sector, and civil society to mobilize the financial and technical resources needed to scale up these initiatives. Only with a sustained commitment to mitigation and adaptation, driven from the local level and with a gender perspective, will it be possible to protect lives, livelihoods, and the irreplaceable biodiversity of the Caribbean.