Wiwa Community Relocates to Safer Settlement Amid Climate and Conflict Pressures

The Wiwa community of Gomke in Colombia’s Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is building a new village, Shegunamke, on the low slopes of a tropical dry forest. The move, described by community leaders as a voluntary adaptation strategy, follows increasing climate‑related disasters and the encroachment of paramilitary groups that have made the ancestral high‑mountain settlement in Dibulla more isolated and dangerous. While relocating, the Wiwa have retained parcels of land at higher elevations to protect rivers, springs and other water bodies, ensuring that the ecosystem continues to support life below. The new settlement aims to preserve the community’s social, educational and spiritual cohesion, with the Shenzhawimaku educational institution continuing to blend conventional learning with Wiwa language and cultural knowledge. This shift reflects a broader pattern of Indigenous groups in the region moving to safer, more accessible locations to maintain their way of life.