Perception of climate change – The case of the indigenous Kichwa in the Ecuadorian Amazon

Cities depend directly on surrounding lands for food, water, energy, and other fundamental issues. Potential disturbances caused by climate change in these resources may have a negative impact on populations. Therefore, this study’s predominant objective was to evaluate the perception of the Indigenous Kichwa people living in the city of Puyo, located in the central part of Ecuador’s Amazon region. A rural-urban characterization of the Kichwa population was conducted, based on a literature review and an evaluation of their perception of climate change, using the probabilistic and non-probabilistic sampling technique. One hundred surveys were applied to Kichwa people, who were 48 years old on average, using the KoBoToolbox tool. The Kichwa people are shaped by a set of values, ideological formations, systems of meaning, productive techniques and practices, rituals, lifestyles, beliefs, stories, and ancestral knowledge. Some 38% of the Kichwa people totally disagree and 10% disagree that climatic elements have changed in recent years. Regarding whether food production in the chakra has increased, 32% totally agree, while 8% consider that the use of pesticides has probably increased in agricultural production and productivity. Kichwa livelihoods have not been altered by changing climatic elements, but their social learning has likely been restructured.