Our programs focus strongly on human well-being, specifically to access of people to international Public Goods, water, food security and climate resilience.
The availability of large quantities of freshwater is a very important asset to local communities living in the interior and the population in the coastal region, mainly because of the provision of safe drinking water, healthy fish stocks (important protein source and income generator) and agricultural irrigation (e.g. for rice). Discover more.
The lush natural and cultural diversity in the Guianas serves people with a wealth of food sources. It is a key value for human well-being and as such a needed buffer to assure food security. The fertile soils in the coastal zone produce crops and cattle grassland for national and international markets (rice, bananas, sugarcane, vegetables), while the ocean nurtures vast amounts of fish stocks. Local communities in rural areas hunt and fish in swamps, rivers, forests and savannas to sustain their families’ food security and generate some income. Discover more.
The Guianas are markedly vulnerable to climate change impacts, both in the low-lying coastal areas (where 80% of the population resides), as well as in the rural area (where many people are directly dependent on natural resources) . The growing awareness on climate change brings the need for adaptation and mitigation strategies increasingly into the public eye. Both freshwater and food security are strongly dependent on the climate. Climate change is expected to cause more intense rainy and drought seasons.
The Guianas have developed national climate change action plans and strategies in an attempt to establish climate resilience frameworks that addresses direct and indirect climate impacts.
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Water
The availability of large quantities of freshwater is a very important asset to local communities living in the interior and the population in the coastal region, mainly because of the provision of safe drinking water, healthy fish stocks (important protein source and income generator) and agricultural irrigation (e.g. for rice). Discover more.
Food Security
The lush natural and cultural diversity in the Guianas serves people with a wealth of food sources. It is a key value for human well-being and as such a needed buffer to assure food security. The fertile soils in the coastal zone produce crops and cattle grassland for national and international markets (rice, bananas, sugarcane, vegetables), while the ocean nurtures vast amounts of fish stocks. Local communities in rural areas hunt and fish in swamps, rivers, forests and savannas to sustain their families’ food security and generate some income. Discover more.
Climate resilience
The Guianas are markedly vulnerable to climate change impacts, both in the low-lying coastal areas (where 80% of the population resides), as well as in the rural area (where many people are directly dependent on natural resources) . The growing awareness on climate change brings the need for adaptation and mitigation strategies increasingly into the public eye. Both freshwater and food security are strongly dependent on the climate. Climate change is expected to cause more intense rainy and drought seasons.
The Guianas have developed national climate change action plans and strategies in an attempt to establish climate resilience frameworks that addresses direct and indirect climate impacts.
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2 Ministry LTDE (2013). Second National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Report Ministry of Labour, Technological Development and Environment, Paramaribo
