Community perception, adaptation and resilience to extreme weather in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Metcalfe, Sarah E.; Schmook, Birgit; De la Barreda-Bautista, Betsabe; Endfield, Georgina; Mardero, Sofia; Manzon Che, Maria; Medina Gonzalez, Roger; Munguia Gil, Teresa; Navarro Olmedo, Santana; Perea, Alejandra; Boyd, Dorren S.

Abstract

© 2020, The Author(s). Perceptions of climate change, the impacts of and responses to climatic variability and extreme weather are explored in three communities in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, in relation to livelihood resilience. These communities provide examples of the most common livelihood strategies across the region: small-scale fisheries (San Felipe) and semi-subsistence small-holder farming (Tzucacab and Calakmul). Although the perception that annual rainfall is reducing is not supported by instrumental records, changes in the timing of vital summer rainfall and an intensification of the mid-summer drought (canicula) are confirmed. The impact of both droughts and hurricanes on livelihoods and crop yields was reported across all communities, although the severity varied. Changes in traditional milpa cultivation were seen to be driven by less reliable rainfall but also by changes in Mexico’s agricultural and wider economic policies. Diversification was a common adaptation response across all communities and respondents, resulting in profound changes in livelihood strategies. Government attempts to reduce vulnerability were found to lack continuity, be hard to access and too orientated toward commercial scale producers. Population growth, higher temperatures and reduced summer rainfall will increase the pressures on communities reliant on small-scale farming and fishing, and a more nuanced understanding of both impacts and adaptations is required for improved livelihood resilience. Greater recognition of such local-scale adaptation strategies should underpin the developing Mexican National Adaptation Policy and provide a template for approaches internationally as adaptation becomes an increasingly important part of the global strategy to cope with climate change.

Citation

Metcalfe, S. E., Schmook, B., De la Barreda-Bautista, B., Endfield, G., Mardero, S., Manzon Che, M., Medina Gonzalez, R., Munguia Gil, T., Navarro Olmedo, S., Perea, A., & Boyd, D. S. (2020). Community perception, adaptation and resilience to extreme weather in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Regional Environmental Change, 20(1), Article 25. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-020-01586-w

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 16, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Feb 17, 2020
• Publication Date: Feb 17, 2020
• Deposit Date: Feb 11, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 18, 2021
• Journal: Regional Environmental Change
• Print ISSN: 1436-3798
• Electronic ISSN: 1436-378X
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 20
• Issue: 1
• Article Number: 25
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-020-01586-w
• Keywords: Drought, Hurricane, Weather lore, Diversification
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3946159
• Publisher URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10113-020-01586-w
• Additional Information: Received: 29 May 2019; Accepted: 16 January 2020; First Online: 17 February 2020