Since 2007， Svetlana Bivol has been the mayor of Marianca de Jos， a village in southern Moldova that sits in a valley where a small river flows. Its 600 residents mostly depend on subsistence agriculture. With few other livelihood options available， there is little margin for error.

As is the case in many villages in this region， climate change threatens to increase both the frequency and intensity of existing hazards， including flooding due to heavy rainfall and soil erosion. The community already has inadequate access to freshwater （the local river does not provide drinkable water）， and the scarcity will only worsen as the effects of climate change grow.

“The community has to be ready and prepared for different types of disasters brought on by climate change，” says Mayor Bivol. “We already felt some of its consequences， and we decided to act now， before it is too late.”

In 2012 the community partnered with UNDP to make the village more resilient against such threats. The Disaster and Climate Risk Reduction Project identified key challenges at the community level and implemented several important changes. This included building a drainage system （totaling 1.2 km in length） that would help reduce flooding， and restoring a bridge that was damaged during a storm. In addition， 2 hectares of walnut trees， maple trees， and black locust trees were planted to form a “forest barrier” that would reduce the strength of winds coming from the northwest.

The community also began the process of crafting a long-term development plan that incorporated disaster risk reduction and resilience measures. It used a UNDP-developed package of procedures and tools that help communities to incorporate risk management measures into development planning. Using data， risk estimation， and local discussions， the community identified climate-related hazards and could suggest locally appropriate adaptation measures.

The activities conducted in Marianca de Jos are part of Moldova’s countrywide disaster risk reduction efforts. With the aim of reducing vulnerabilities and strengthening capacities at the local level， Moldova has developed a procedure for creating disaster and climate risk assessments that can be used by communities. From June to September 2012， a rapid risk screening was performed in 20 communities， with 10 of them implementing pilot projects to reduce vulnerability and strengthen their capacities to manage disaster and climate risks.

The pilot communities installed receptacles to collect rainwater； built run-off systems to prevent flooding； and built greenhouses to introduce new agricultural approaches to mitigate the effects that climate change will have on traditional crops in the region.

“There are many small communities like Marianca de Jos in Moldova，” says Svetlana Drobot， a representative from the Civil Protection and Emergency Situation Service. “We can measure our success based on the pro-activeness and readiness of every Moldovan to protect himself， his family and his community.”

As of 2015， Marianca de Jos continues to implement and expand the measures that were started three years ago： The community has acquired an additional plot of land and planted it with trees for the forest barrier project； the drainage system has been expanded by several streets； and the community continues to seek out additional ways of making itself even more climate resilient.

氣候變化威脅到摩爾多瓦南部的Marianca de Jos和很多其他村落，加大了現(xiàn)有各種災(zāi)害的頻率和程度，包括暴雨和泥石流導(dǎo)致的洪澇災(zāi)害等。2012年該社區(qū)同聯(lián)合國開發(fā)計(jì)劃署合作，以增強(qiáng)其抗災(zāi)能力。這一項(xiàng)目首先識別了幾大重大威脅，并實(shí)施了一系列行動，包括建造一個排水系統(tǒng)，重修橋梁，種植胡桃樹、楓樹等，形成一個“森林屏障”。截止2015年，該項(xiàng)目已經(jīng)實(shí)施了三年，這些措施仍舊被采用，力度也有所增加。

[http：//www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/ourwork/ourstories/communities-build-resilience-in-moldova/]