Climate change and its impacts: perception and adaptation in rural areas of Manizales, Colombia

Tropical social-ecological systems are highly vulnerable to climate change, given the limited natural climate variability in the tropics. Tropical rural populations, with livelihoods dependent on agriculture, are particularly vulnerable to climate variability and changes. To develop climate change social communication, plan and implement adaptation, it is necessary to understand regional/local climate process, risks and opportunities. It is also important to understand how local populations perceive such changes and adapt their livelihoods. Limited information is available on climate change perceptions in tropical Latin American rural populations. Hence, a climate study and climate change perception survey were carried out in the Manizales Municipality, in the Andean region of Colombia and one of its major coffee-growing areas. The study spanned three thermal levels in the tropical Andes, 1000m a.s.l. and above, each with distinct environments and livelihoods. Climate analysis yielded significant warming trends in recent decades, particularly in temperature minima for all levels, but no significant local precipitation trends. The perception survey, carried out in a sparsely populated region, mostly with limited accessibility, included 37 households, with structured and semi-structured interviews, adapted to local culture. Interviewees had little or no previous knowledge on climate change. However, almost all had perceived significant changes in both temperature and precipitation, which impacted their livelihoods and environment. Some perceptions could result from a La Nina event prior to the survey, and other environmental destruction processes. Their responses to change were spontaneous adaptation, based on traditional practices and agricultural technical advice from state agencies and coffee grower associations.