Project Grant 96214324

DESCRIPTION:THIS AGREEMENT PROVIDES FUNDING UNDER THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT TO SOCIEDAD AMBIENTE MARINO TO IMPROVE THE ADAPTIVE CAPACITY OF UNDERSERVED COASTAL COMMUNITIES IN PUERTO RICO TO CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS THROUGH LOCALLY-LED ADAPTATION PLANNING. THE PROJECT WILL WORK WITH THREE COMMUNITIES SARDINAS IN CULEBRA, LA MARGARITA IN SALINAS, AND LA 23 IN LOIACUTE;ZA. SOCIEDAD AMBIENTE MARINO WILL COORDINATE REGIONAL CITIZEN CLIMATE DIALOGUES TO DEFINE LOCAL AND NATIONAL PRIORITIES FOR RESILIENCE PLANNING. THEY WILL CONDUCT WORKSHOPS AND TRAINING SESSIONS TO STRENGTHEN THE TECHNICAL CAPACITY OF LOCAL ACTORS AND GOVERNMENTS IN PARTICIPATORY DECISION-MAKING FOR CLIMATE ADAPTATION. THE PROJECT WILL ALSO DEVELOP COMMUNITY CLIMATE ADAPTATION PLANS WITH RESIDENTS AND INTEGRATE THESE INTO LOCAL AND NATIONAL PLANNING PROCESSES. THE PROJECT AIMS TO EMPOWER LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO LEAD THEIR OWN ADAPTATION EFFORTS, BUILDING LONG-TERM RESILIENCE AND IMPROVING CLIMATE GOVERNANCE IN PUERTO RICO. THIS WORK ADDRESSES CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES FACING THESE COASTAL COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING SEA LEVEL RISE, FLOODING, HURRICANES, AND OTHER CLIMATE-RELATED RISKS. BY FOCUSING ON LOCALLY-LED ADAPTATION, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, AND PARTICIPATORY PLANNING, THE PROJECT SEEKS TO CREATE MORE EFFECTIVE AND EQUITABLE CLIMATE SOLUTIONS FOR PUERTO RICO'S MOST VULNERABLE POPULATIONS.ACTIVITIES:THE ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED BY THE PUERTO RICO PLANNING FOR LOCALLY-LED ADAPTATION PROJECT INCLUDE HOSTING A MULTILEVEL LAUNCH EVENT TO INTRODUCE THE INITIATIVE TO VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS, FACILITATING FIVE REGIONAL CITIZEN CLIMATE ASSEMBLIES TO GATHER INPUT AND BUILD CONSENSUS ON LOCAL AND NATIONAL CLIMATE PRIORITIES, AND DEVELOP AND CONDUCT TRAINING SESSIONS FOR BOTH POLICY MAKERS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS. THESE SESSIONS WILL FOCUS ON CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION PLANNING, LOCALLY-LED ADAPTATION APPROACHES, AND EFFECTIVE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION STRATEGIES. THE PROJECT AIMS TO ESTABLISH A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE AROUND THESE TOPICS, CULMINATING IN AN ISLAND-WIDE KNOWLEDGE-SHARING EVENT. A KEY COMPONENT OF THE PROJECT INVOLVES WORKING DIRECTLY WITH THREE COASTAL COMMUNITIES: SARDINAS IN CULEBRA, LA MARGARITA IN SALINAS, AND LA 23 IN LOIACUTE;ZA. IN EACH COMMUNITY, THE TEAM WILL HOST PARTICIPATORY MEETINGS TO IDENTIFY AND PRIORITIZE CLIMATE RISKS AND POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS. THIS INPUT WILL BE USED TO DEVELOP COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNITY CLIMATE ADAPTATION PLANS. ONCE DEVELOPED, THESE PLANS WILL BE PRESENTED TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS FOR INTEGRATION INTO MUNICIPAL AND REGIONAL PLANNING PROCESSES. THE PROJECT WILL ALSO SUPPORT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF AT LEAST THREE COMMUNITY-DESIGNED PILOT INTERVENTIONS TO ADDRESS SPECIFIC CLIMATE ADAPTATION NEEDS. THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT PERIOD, THE TEAM WILL CONDUCT QUARTERLY MEETINGS WITH STAKEHOLDERS TO DEVELOP IMPLEMENTATION ROADMAPS AND ENSURE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THESE LOCALLY-LED ADAPTATION EFFORTS. ONGOING EVALUATION AND REPORTING WILL BE CARRIED OUT TO TRACK PROGRESS AND ADJUST STRATEGIES AS NEEDED. THROUGH THESE ACTIVITIES, THE PROJECT AIMS TO EMPOWER LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO LEAD THEIR OWN CLIMATE ADAPTATION EFFORTS AND IMPROVE OVERALL CLIMATE GOVERNANCE IN PUERTO RICO.SUBRECIPIENT:THE ACTIVITIES TO BE IMPLEMENTED THROUGH SUBAWARDS FOCUS ON GOAL 3 OF THE PLALLA WORK PLAN: INCORPORATING LOCALLY-LED ADAPTATION CONSIDERATIONS INTO COMMUNITY, LOCAL, AND NATIONAL PLANNING PROCESSES. THE THREE COMMUNITIES - COMUNIDAD SARDINAS IN CULEBRA, COMUNIDAD LA MARGARITA IN SALINAS, AND COMUNIDAD LA 23 IN LOIACUTE;ZA - WILL PLAY CRUCIAL ROLES IN THIS PROCESS. SUBAWARD RECIPIENTS ASOCIACIOACUTE;N DE RESIDENTES DE LA MARGARITA AND TALLER SALUD, ALONG WITH A COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION IN CULEBRA, WILL LEAD EFFORTS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE COMMUNITIES TO HOST PARTICIPATORY MEETINGS. THESE MEETINGS WILL IDENTIFY, DISCUSS, AND PRIORITIZE CLIMATE RISKS AND SOLUTIONS WITH COMMUNITY RESIDENTS, TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THEIR SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONTEXT. THE SUBAWARD RECIPIEN