Limited room For manoeuvre - Climate Change Adaptation and Development: Transforming Paradigms and Practices - page 263

report that the natural signs and indicators are now perceived as alarming.
Seasons have become irregular; for example the once-regular flow and descent
of Amazon rivers is now out of synchronicity with seasonal events (such as the
ripening of wild fruits) that directly affect livelihoods (Kronik and Verner 2010a;
see also Table 14.2 ).
While knowledge plays a critical role, it is also important to recognize that
access to traditionally exploited natural resources does not always correlate
with more effective adaptation, or more room for manoeuvre. For example,
this research found that in the northern Amazon, the peoples most affected
by climate change and variability are often those who have greater territorial
autonomy, who derive their livelihood mostly from forest and water resources,
and maintain an active and engaged ritual life. Such peoples place great value
on the ecological diversity of mature forests. They depend heavily on fish and
game for protein, maintaining health through their own means and knowledge,
and their livelihoods rest on their abilities to interpret regular natural cycles
and to act accordingly. Although they do have contact with mainstream society,
participate moderately in the market economy, and have access to public health
and education services, much of their livelihood depends on their traditional
knowledge and management of natural resources. When these are threatened
through climate change, the associated social and cultural breakdown is more
destructive than it is for those who have greater access to other options. For
example, communities in the Amazon and the Nicaraguan coastal indigenous
communities are slowly inserting themselves into an incipient market economy
with activities linked to national or international markets (artisanal gold mining,
timber, shrimp, lobster), giving them access to building materials and other goods
that can make them better prepared to withstand climate change and variability
events. Having access to these alternatives when forest and agricultural options
are compromised has allowed some 'room for manoeuvre'; without this, the
chances of successful adaptation would be extremely limited and migration
would increasingly become the sole option.
At the same time, this integration into markets can also have problematic
aspects. It can increase dependency, and it influences people towards development
models based on maximizing the extraction of resources - a model that, as
we argue below, often increases people's vulnerability. In many cases, having
secure rights and access to land would itself provide a buffer to this vulnerability
(see section on adaptation, below). Thus the role of knowledge of the local
environment as a cultural resource is crucial, but not always straightforward.
It is very important not to oversimplify this. A limited focus on either the
promotion of traditional knowledge or incorporation into local, national and
global economies at the expense of the other will ultimately restrict options.
'Room for manoeuvre' emphasizes the need to recognize the advantages and
disadvantages of various options, and to find solutions that maximize the 'space'
in which people can respond to changing climatic - and political, economic and
social - conditions.