Activity: Guard­i­ans of the Hills: Em­power­ing Wo­men Lead­ers for Urban Re­si­li­ence

The project plans to enhance local resilience and simultaneously improve the quality of public spaces by empowering female leaders of the community as “Guardians of the hill”, who will be part of implementing climate adaptation measures and establishing an early warning system for landslides.

Overview

Categories
  • Topics: Climate
Countries
Ecuador
Project duration
July 2019 to April 2021
Commissioned by
  • German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)

Context

Portoviejo, the capital of Ecuador’s coastal province Manabí, is exposed to multiple climate threats. These threats have historically materialized in adverse events such as the El Niño and La Niña phenomena, and heavy rainfalls which cause landslides and flooding every year. As climate change exacerbates the frequency and intensity of rainfalls, the risk of such hazards increases, and they not only generate significant human and material losses, but also negatively affect development processes. Accelerated urban growth has resulted in informal land occupation, creating pressure on natural resources, and the establishment of informal settlements on riverbanks, hills, protected areas and natural streams. These conditions of spatial location, added to the socio-economic conditions of the population, configure spaces of vulnerability, exclusion, segregation and informality that increase disaster risks, such as the hills of San Pablo. The increasing deforestation of the dry forest to stablish new settlements has modified the soil, leaving the hills without their natural protection. As a result, many families are located in landslide risk areas. Women and girls tend to suffer more from the negative consequences of socio natural disasters, poverty and violence, due to traditional roles and distinct responsibilities associated with gender.

Objective

Increase urban climate resilience in San Pablo by empowering women to implement nature-based adaptation measures and promote changes in their territory, enhancing participation and co-responsibility.

Approach

Through participatory design and implementation of ecosystem-based adaptation measures, from a gender perspective, and strengthening organizational processes, the approach is focused on social and territorial transformation to reduce the vulnerability factors related with landslide risk, and to increase climate resilience, by empowering women in their role as climate actors, in order to make neighborhoods more liveable and safe.

Impact

Expected results:

  1. Nature-based adaptation solutions for landslide-prone areas implemented in a participatory way.
  2. Women strengthened in their role as local actors for climate action and acknowledged as important decision makers for their communities, with strengthened organizational capacities.
  3. Women leaders empowered to share testimonies and experiences of neighborhood organization to combat climate change, prevent landslides, and prevent gender-based violence.