Climate change is a reality for the entire planet, and Chile is no exception. The country has a high degree of vulnerability to climate change, and while many productive sectors face profoundly impacted conditions, artisanal fishers and small-scale fish farmers are among the most severely affected because of both their geographical locations and their economic status. Thus, actions that support and promote the adaptation of this sector are necessary to address climate change and other related issues.
With funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Chile’s Undersecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture and the Ministry of the Environment, conducted a project, from 2017 to 2021 entitled, "Strengthening the Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector", to help reduce the vulnerability of four coves and their communities.
Primary results and innovative aspects of the project are presented in keeping with its three main components: strengthening of public and private institutional capacities; improvement of the adaptive capacity of artisanal fisheries and small-scale aquaculture; and strengthening knowledge and awareness about climate change in fishing and aquaculture communities. It also details the lessons learned during the project, with the goal of providing the authorities and communities involved in the fisheries and aquaculture sector with the capacity and tools required to adapt to future climate scenarios. Recommendations are made for scaling-up adaptation actions in the pilot coves and making this initiative sustainable beyond the end of the project.