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Oxfam Case Study: Building camellones in Bolivia How climate change affects Bolivia Bolivia is particularly at risk from climate change. Poorer people are most affected by it and Bolivia is one of the poorest countries in Latin America. Bolivia is also one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, with many ecosystems that are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. More than half the country is covered by the Amazon rainforest, where high levels of deforestation have increased the risk of flooding. In recent years, Bolivia is one of the countries that have been most affected by more frequent and intense natural disasters. Poor communities throughout Bolivia are already experiencing the consequences of climate change: less food security; retreating glaciers affecting water supply; an increase in mosquito-borne diseases; and more forest fires. Oxfam in Bolivia Beni is a region in the northeast of Bolivia. It is mostly flat and criss-crossed with many rivers, all of which are tributaries of the Amazon. There are also numerous lakes and lagoons. To help vulnerable communities cope with the changing climate, Oxfam and its partner organisations in Bolivia supported a project here to build a system of small man-made hills called camellones. This ancient farming technique was first used before the Incas, over 3,000 years ago, when over 20,000 camellones were built in Beni. Loma Suarez near Trinidad adopted the ancient camellones system to combat the problem caused by the annual floods in the area. © Credit: Mark Chilvers The camellones system works by raising fields above flood level and surrounding them with channels of water. This protects seeds and crops from being completely washed away during the rainy season. Also, the channels fill with water that can be used to irrigate the land during the dry season, meaning that food can easily be grown all year round. Furthermore the GLP © Crown Copyright farming methods used in the camellones provide precious nutrients to the soil, meaning less deforestation is needed to clear fresh land for crops. Oxfam also worked with a local partner organisation to build ‘safe homes’ in some of these remote communities. These houses were made from locally sourced materials, and were built on stilts above flood levels to ensure that homes and families were protected from any future flooding. Dora’s story Dora is a single mother of five children. They live in Trinidad, the capital of Beni, in the northeast of Bolivia. Cities such as Trinidad are feeling the full force of climate change. Successive droughts and flooding have destroyed many crops, animals and homes in her area. When a flood hits, families lose everything. Dora said: ‘When it rains here the water comes into my house through the roof. I try to stop it but it doesn’t work. The house is flooded and the water reaches up to the bed. When the water stays in the house I have to stay with the children. When it rains and floods in Trinidad there isn’t any work; everything is suspended, and everything stops.’ Involvement in the camellones project offered new hope to Dora and others in her community. ‘When I became involved in the camellones I made myself a promise that I had to get something for my family, for my daughters. My dream is to have a beautiful home without damp. My dream is to get something out of this for my daughters.’ Rosario’s story Rosario works on the land in her community © Credit: Mark Bushnell/Oxfam GLP © Crown Copyright Funded by the UK government Rosario lives with her family in the community of Santa Rosa, in the extreme northeast of Bolivia. The Amazon is their home. Previously, many trees were cut down for wood or to open up land for farming. The community is now reforesting native trees and making use of the wood and fruits in a sustainable way. However, the climate has changed. Extreme and uncontrolled floods have hit the area with devastating results. Rosario and her community talk frequently about climate change, how it is affecting them and what can be done. Rosario said: ‘In the past it was cooler during the day... but now there is more extreme heat and the sun is burning more strongly. For everyone it is a challenge to find the right way of cropping because the weather has changed so much. We see that the main issue is deforestation – this is affecting us all and is impacting on the climate. We are reforesting the land that was destroyed in the past, and we are trying to plant different species and create a balance to ensure we are not contributing to climate change.’ Rosario’s community is standing up and doing their part but they also believe that everybody should be getting involved in this issue – especially governments. ‘We expect everybody, especially governments, to discuss it a lot at summits and events, but at the moment we don’t see enough results. This is what is worrying.’ Glossary Biodiverse Having a high level of biodiversity (the variety of plant and animal life). Deforestation The clearing of trees, for example by cutting or burning. Camellones An ancient agricultural technique that uses a system of small mounds and water channels to both irrigate and protect crops from flooding. Irrigate To supply water to land or crops to help growth. Reforesting Planting trees in places where they were previously cut down. Tributary A stream or river that flows into a bigger river. Bolivia country information GDP per person: $3,124 Total CO2 emissions: 18,000,000 tonnes Population: 10,562,000 CO2 emissions per person: 1.7 tonnes Data sources: World Bank Data (2014): data.worldbank.org/ Global Carbon Atlas (2014): www.globalcarbonatlas.org/ Links: Find out more details about Oxfam’s work in Bolivia here. GLP © Crown Copyright Funded by the UK government