The IPCCA Methodology

Local Assessments Methodology

In keeping with the objectives of the IPCCA to empower indigenous communities to use their own frameworks, the methodology stems from the holistic vision of the relationships of human beings in their ecosystems, as provided by the CF. Local indigenous partners will use their own cultural understanding of an interconnected world to guide their processes of inquiry. From a common holistic view of biocultural systems and climate change drivers, communities and facilitators will adapt the CF to assess elements that are important to building and maintaining resilience of their biocultural systems and promoting buen vivir.

The methodological approach is based on the recognition and valuing of indigenous knowledge and systems for coping with and responding to climate change. Grounding inquiry for problem solving in indigenous knowledge advances a process of community empowerment and self-determination, through which local adaptation strategies that support local and national struggles of indigenous peoples can be built. Likewise, the process is based in the implementation of UNDRIP and ensures that indigenous positions that come from local biocultural realities feed into global processes. From this perspective, indigenous people are not cast as victims, as they are so commonly portrayed. Rather, their contributions are recognized and built upon in order to develop adaptation strategies based on historic resilience and holistic approaches.

Each local assessment will follow 6 stages:

  1. Pre-Assessment Information Collection & Proposal Development
  2. Adapting the Conceptual Framework
  3. Defining the Scope and Outputs of the Assessment
  4. Developing an Indigenous Inquiry Methodology
  5. Conducting Futuring Activities
  6. Developing Adaptation Response Strategies

Global Assessments Methodology

The Global Assessment will be conducted by members of the IPCCA Technical Advisory Board. The Board, made up of multidisciplinary indigenous experts and academics, all with relevant local experience, will form thematic Working Groups to assess the available scientific, technical, cultural and socio-economic information in the field of climate change as it relates to indigenous people in a global context. The assessment will focus on the drivers of climate change that have direct impact on indigenous peoples, with particular attention to indigenous resilience and buen vivir and response options to adapt to climate change.

The Working Groups will be consolidated in order to begin the global assessments simultaneous to the local assessments. These assessments will follow an information gathering and analyzing methodology. The SC and Secretariat will coordinate with the Board and each Working Group will manage a semi-autonomous process to define appropriate methodologies and task definition within the group.

It is proposed that there be 4 Working Groups, focusing on the following thematic areas:

  • Agriculture and Water
  • Resilience and Adaptive Capacity in Biocultural Systems
  • Extractive Industries
  • Land Rights and Human Rights