Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Perceptions on climate change of the traditional community Cuiabá Mirim, Pantanal Wetland, Mato Grosso, Brazil

  • Published:
Climatic Change Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The latest scientific findings indicate that the increased concentration of greenhouse gases emitted by anthropogenic sources is significantly altering the balance of the global climate system. Considering forecasts of changes in the hydrological cycle and temperature related to global warming, the dynamics governing the functioning of the Pantanal Wetland, responsible for its rich biodiversity, find themselves threatened. Thus, this study was designed in the space-time of the Pantanal people called pantaneiros, and aims to discuss the Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) of the Traditional Community Cuiabá Mirim regarding climate change. The information presented was obtained from 22 pantaneiros, between March 2008 and March 2010. The population sample was selected by the Snow Ball method. For data collection, semi structured interviews and oral histories were used. The results were compared with observations, simulations and projections of the IPCC AR4 for the region. The main findings of this research indicate that TEK presents itself as a crucial and complementary source of information for the development of local/regional adaptation strategies to climate change, bringing a distinct and relevant point of view from vulnerable stakeholders to the decision makers.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alverson K, Bradley R, Pedersen T (2003) Paleoclimate, global change and the future. Springer - Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Berkes F, Folke C (1998) Linking social and ecological systems: management practices and social mechanisms for building resilience. Cambridge University Press, New York. Conservation Ecology 4(2): 5. http://www.consecol.org/vol4/iss2/art5/. Acessed 18 June 2010

  • Berkes F, Jolly D (2001) Adapting to climate change: social-ecological resilience in a Canadian western Arctic community. Conserv Ecol 5(2):18, http://www.consecol.org/vol5/iss2/art18. Accessed 3 May 2010

    Google Scholar 

  • Berkes F, Kislalioglu M, Folke C, Gadgil M (1998) Exploring the basic ecological unit: ecosystem-like concepts in traditional societies. Ecosystems 1:409–415

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berkes F, Colding J, Folke C (2000) Rediscovery of traditional ecological knowledge as adaptive management. Ecol Appl 10:1251–1262

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bernard HR (2006) Research methods in anthropology: qualitative and quantitative approaches, 4th edn. Altamira Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Christensen JH, Hewitson B, Busuioc A, Chen A, Gao X, Held I, Jones R, Kolli RK, Kwon WT, Laprise R, Maganã Rueda V, Meams L, Menéndez CG, Räisänen J, Rinke A, Sarr A, Whetton P et al (2007) Regional climate projections. In: Solomon S (ed) Climate change 2007: the physical science basis. Contribution of working group I to the fourth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge and New York, http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/ch11.html. Accessed 10 Sept 2010

    Google Scholar 

  • Cramer WB, Schaphoff S, Lucht W, Smith B, Sitch S (2004) Tropical forests and the global carbon cycle: impacts of atmospheric carbon dioxide, climate change and rate of deforestation. Phil Trans R Soc 359(1443):331–343

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crona B, Wutich A, Brewis A, Gartin M (2013) Perceptions of climate change: linking local and global perceptions through a cultural knowledge approach. Climate Change 119:519–531

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cruikshank J (2001) Glaciers and climate change: perspectives from oral tradition. Artic 54. http://arctic.synergiesprairies.ca/arctic/index.php/arctic/article/view/795. Accessed 22 July 2013

  • Da Silva CJ, Silva J (1995) No ritmo das águas do Pantanal. NUPAUB/USP, São Paulo

    Google Scholar 

  • Davidson EA, Araújo AC, Artaxo P, Balch JK, Brown IF, Bustamente MMC, Coe MT (2012) The Amazon basin in trasition. Nature 481:321–328

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis BAS (2003) The temperature of Europe during the Holocene reconstructed from pollen date. Quat Sci Rev 22:1701–1716

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duerden F (2004) Translating climate change impacts at the community level. Arctic 57(2):204–212

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eakin H, Lemos MC (2010) Institutions and change: the challenge of building adaptive capacity in Latin America. Glob Environ Chang 20(1):1–3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forster P, Ramaswamy V, Artaxo P, Berntsen T, Betts R, Fahey DW, Haywood J, Lean J, Lowe DC, Myhre G, Nganga J, Prinn R, Raga G, Schulz M, Van Dorland R et al (2007) Changes in atmospheric constituents and in radiative forcing. In: Solomon S (ed) Climate change 2007: the physical science basis. Contribution of working group I to the fourth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge and New York, http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/ch2.html. Accessed 9 Sept 9 2010

    Google Scholar 

  • Galdino Y, Da Silva CJ (2009) Casa e Paisagem Pantaneira. Carlini & Caniatto, Cuiabá

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris MB, Mourao G, Tomas W, Da Silva CJ, Sonoda F, Fachin E, Guimarães E (2005) Safeguarding the Pantanal Wetlands: threats and conservation initiatives. Conserv Biol 19(3):714–720

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huntington H (1998) Observations on the utility of the semi-directive interview for documenting traditional ecological knowledge. Arctic, North America, 51, 8. http://arctic.synergiesprairies.ca/arctic/index.php/arctic/article/view/1065/1091. Accessed 27 July 2013

  • Ilic J (2011) I am counting moon, I am counting fish—traditional environmental knowledge and social vulnerability of artisan fishing community of Tarrafal, Sao Nicolau, Cape Verde. In: Indigenous peoples, marginalized populations and climate change: vulnerability, adaptation and traditional knowledge. Mexico City, pp 19–21

  • Junk WJ, Nunes da Cunha C, Da Silva CJ, Wantzen KM (2011) The Pantanal: a large South American Wetland and its position in limnology theory. In: Junk WJ et al (eds) The Pantanal: ecology, biodiversity and sustainable management of a large neotropical seasonal wetland, 1st edn. Pensoft Publishers, Sofia, pp 23–44

    Google Scholar 

  • Nakashima DJ, Galloway McLean K, Thulstrup HD, Ramos Castillo A, Rubis JT (2012) Weathering uncertainty: traditional knowledge for climate change assessment and adaptation. UNESCO, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  • Neuburger M, Da Silva CJ (2011) Ribeirinhos between ecological adaptation and modernisation. In: Junk WJ (ed) The Pantanal: ecology, biodiversity and sustainable management of a large neotropical seasonal wetland, 1st edn. Pensoft Publishers, Sofia, pp 673–694

    Google Scholar 

  • Riedlinger D, Berkes F (2001) Contributions of traditional knowledge to understanding climate change in the Canadian Arctic. Polar Rec 37:315–328. doi:10.1017/S0032247400017058

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salick J, Byg A (2007) Indigenous people and climate change. Symposium Report (April 12–13). Environmental Change Institute, Oxford 32p.

  • Smit B, Wandel J (2006) Adaptation, adaptive capacity and vulnerability. Glob Environ Chang 16(3):282–292

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge Coordination of Higher Education Personnel of Improvement (CAPES) for the scholarship provided for the 2nd author during her master’s degree, whose data are part of this article. We are also grateful to the Cuiabá Mirim Traditional Community that contributed a lot with their knowledge about the Pantanal ecosystem. The stimulus provided by the Sinergia Project, which supported the authors to attend the Adaptclim Conference: The Challenges of Climate Change and Adaptation in the Tropical Basin was crucial, and later led to this paper. A last but not least acknowledge goes to the Brazilian Global Climatic Network, Climatic Changes and Regional Development Sub Network, which considerably contributed to the improvement of the author’s knowledge in terms of climate change.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Limnology, Biodiversity and Ethnobiology Pantanal Research Center, Graduate Program in Environmental Sciences, Mato Grosso State University - UNEMAT, Cáceres, Mato Grosso, Brazil

    C. J. Da Silva

  2. Legal Amazon Biodiversity and Biotechnology Graduate Program – Bionorte Network, Federal University of Amazonas- UFAM, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil

    C. J. Da Silva & R. Albernaz-Silveira

  3. Mato Grosso State University – UNEMAT, Cáceres, Mato Grosso, Brazil

    C. J. Da Silva & R. Albernaz-Silveira

  4. Graduate Program in Sustainable Development Practice, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro – UFRRJ, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    P. S. Nogueira

  5. The Global Master’s in Development Practice Network - MDP, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    P. S. Nogueira

  6. Brazilian Global Climatic Changes Network, Climatic Changes and Regional Development Sub Network, University of Brasilia UnB- Brasilia, Cáceres, Mato Grosso, Brazil

    C. J. Da Silva & P. S. Nogueira

  7. Center for Development Sustainable, Mato Grosso State University - UNEMAT, Cáceres, Mato Grosso, Brazil

    C. J. Da Silva & P. S. Nogueira

Authors
  1. C. J. Da Silva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. R. Albernaz-Silveira
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. P. S. Nogueira
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to C. J. Da Silva.

Additional information

This article is part of a Special Issue on “Climate change and adaptation in tropical basins” edited by Pierre Girard, Craig Hutton, and Jean-Phillipe Boulanger

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Da Silva, C.J., Albernaz-Silveira, R. & Nogueira, P.S. Perceptions on climate change of the traditional community Cuiabá Mirim, Pantanal Wetland, Mato Grosso, Brazil. Climatic Change 127, 83–92 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-014-1150-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-014-1150-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation