Race to Resilience in Action: How Indigenous knowledge is guiding regional responses to climate change

Partner: Regions4

Implementers : Regional Governments

Location & Region: Quebec(Canada), Pastaza(Ecuador), Yucatán(Mexico), Paraná( Brazil), Morona Santiago(Ecuador), Napo(Ecuador), Zamora Chinchipe (Ecuador)

SAA Impact System: Nature & Food Systems

Impact: 4,400 hectares of land under indigenous co-management, 900 people participating in co-design of a reserve, 3 agricultural systems adapted and scaled.

Around the world, regional governments are searching for ways to adapt to a climate that is rapidly reshaping landscapes and lives. Short term fixes might help communities weather the next storm, but much of today’s decision-making is still shaped by immediate pressures rather than the needs of future generations.

For Indigenous Peoples, the opposite has always been true. Knowledge has been passed down for millennia with the understanding that every choice must honour those who came before and safeguard those yet to come.

While Indigenous communities have always guided decisions with this long view, what is shifting today is the recognition of that leadership and its place at the heart of resilience strategies.

Through RegionsAdapt, part of Race to Resilience partner Regions4, this recognition is being translated into practice. The initiative is helping states and provinces work in genuine partnership with Indigenous Peoples, embedding their perspectives in adaptation strategies that do everything from sustaining livelihoods to restoring the ecosystems on which communities depend.

Indigenous participation and social inclusion in planning and decision-making

Northern Quebec, Canada: Melting permafrost is changing life dramatically for Inuit and other Indigenous communities. The Province Québec is working with these communities to create climate adaptation plans that blend traditional ecological knowledge with climate science, addressing infrastructure risks, food security, and cultural preservation. More Info.

Pastaza, Ecuador: In Pastaza, Ecuador, the first subnational REDD+ plan ensures Indigenous leadership in forest and biodiversity management. Developed through a participatory process with the region’s seven Indigenous nationalities, the plan upholds the right to free, prior and informed consent, integrating traditional knowledge into strategies that reduce deforestation and strengthen territorial governance. More info.

Yucatán, Mexico: In the Puuc Biocultural State Reserve, efforts to strengthen women’s land rights have led to agrarian reforms requiring gender parity on ejido committees. This has not only improved representation but also reshaped how land and climate policy are developed at the local level.

Indigenous-led conservation and biodiversity management

Paraná, Brazil: In the Metropolitan Region of Curitiba, 35 Indigenous leaders from the Kaingang, Guarani Ñandeva, Tukano, and Terena peoples are managing 4,400 hectares of forest in a first-of-its-kind agreement with the state. This co-management model supports conservation, sustainable tourism, and environmental education, all driven by Indigenous governance and cultural priorities. More info.

Morona Santiago, Ecuador: In southeastern Ecuador, the Tarímiat Pujutai Núnka Reserve, one of the Amazon’s largest, was created through a participatory process with four Indigenous organizations and nearly 900 people. Blending ancestral knowledge with environmental governance, the reserve protects biodiversity while upholding territorial rights and cultural values, showing how community-led conservation can support both nature and well-being. More info.

Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico: In the mangrove forests of Yucatán, the Tech4Nature initiative engages Maya-speaking communities in monitoring jaguar populations and managing conservation zones. Though the work is currently male-dominated due to physical demands, it marks a promising step towards community-led biodiversity protection. More info.

Reviving ancestral practices for resilient food practices

Yucatán, Mexico: For more than 3,000 years, Maya farmers have practiced the Milpa system, a method of growing maize, beans, and squash without chemicals. As climate change threatens this tradition, local farmers are adapting it through community-led approaches that preserve biocultural heritage and strengthen food security. More info.

Napo, Ecuador: In Napo, Ecuador, Kichwa communities have long practised the Amazonian Chakra, a traditional agroforestry system that supports food security, income, and biodiversity. To protect this heritage, the Chakra Group was created in 2017 as an inter-institutional platform promoting climate resilience through public policy, training and certification. Initiatives like the Chakra Seal and Participatory Guarantee System help producers access fair markets while preserving ancestral knowledge. More info.

Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador: In Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador, the association ASOPROMÁS (comprising both Shuar Indigenous and mestizo members) is leading a climate adaptation initiative that blends ancestral agroecological knowledge with innovation. Through agroecology schools, they promote climate-resilient farming, such as organic fertilization and biodiversity conservation, while empowering women and youth via the cocoa value chain. With international support, ASOPROMÁS launched a local chocolate brand, “Kujeñito”, boosting community income and reducing environmental impacts. Their award-winning model has gained national and international recognition, showing how Indigenous-led action can drive climate resilience, cultural revitalisation, and sustainable local development. More info.

About RegionsAdapt

RegionsAdapt is a global initiative coordinated by Regions4, driving 80+ regional governments to accelerate climate adaptation. By facilitating peer learning and international visibility, the initiative strengthens regional voices, particularly those working with Indigenous peoples, local communities, and other frontline actors.

States, Provinces and Regions interested in joining RegionsAdapt and contributing to the Race to Resilience can connect here.

Race to Resilience

Race to Resilience is a global campaign working to improve the resilience of four billion people to climate risk by 2030. It does this through a network of partners supporting locally led work in areas such as health, food, water and livelihoods. Learn more about the Race to Resilience.

Global IP Study

The Global Study on Indigenous Peoples’ Climate Contribution aims to share Indigenous Peoples' knowledge, contributions and responses to climate mitigation, adaptation, loss, and damage from across the globe. The Study emphasizes a rights- and responsibilities-based approach, highlighting IPs as agents of change in climate action at local, regional, national, and international levels. It focuses on case studies from the seven UN socio-cultural regions of IPs.

The study is still receiving case studies. To find out more about the study visit here.