Terra stories

This project aims to document and map community experiences of changing climate patterns across the Rupununi landscape to strengthen locally led resilience and knowledge sharing. The project will be implemented in partnership with the North Rupununi District Development Board and will benefit communities of the North Rupununi by capturing historical memories, traditional ecological knowledge and lived experiences of major floods and droughts that have shaped livelihoods and the environment. Using participatory methodologies, the project will engage elders, women, youth, farmers, and fishers through storytelling sessions, participatory timelines, and community mapping to document when, where, and how climate events have occurred and how communities have responded.

The expected outputs include a booklet of Terra Stories, participatory maps, and a community validated extreme climatic timeline that preserves stories which might otherwise be forgotten or left untold. The project will contribute to stronger intergenerational knowledge transmission, increased recognition of community knowledge in climate discussions, and improved understanding of climate risks to support community planning and resilience across the North Rupununi.