In the small coastal community of Vila do Pesqueiro, Brazil, life once revolved around the sea. Ivanil and her husband fished, planted crops, and raised animals on a patch of land they lovingly called paradise. But one night, everything changed. A violent storm brought thunder, lightning, and relentless rain that battered their small homes, forcing families to huddle together as the tides surged dangerously close.
Nearly two years later, the memory of that storm still haunts Ivanil. In February 2024, the sea finally claimed the land her family had lived on for generations. She and her neighbors were forced to abandon their homes and move inland, less than a kilometer away—but the difference was stark. Their new settlement sat on mangrove terrain, hotter, noisier, and unsuitable for farming or raising animals. For Ivanil, it felt like a new and unfamiliar world.
Vila do Pesqueiro, home to about 160 families within the Soure Marine Extractive Reserve, lies across the mouth of the Amazon River from Belém, where global leaders are gathering for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30). The community’s struggles reflect one of the central issues under discussion—displacement caused by extreme weather and rising seas. The Soure Marine Reserve was established to protect the livelihoods and traditions of local populations while promoting sustainable use of natural resources, yet those same communities now face mounting threats from climate change.
Fishing remains the main source of income for the residents, supplemented by local cuisine and small-scale tourism, but these livelihoods are becoming increasingly precarious as tides advance and erosion worsens. For many, the effects of climate change are not abstract—they are deeply personal. Ivanil’s son, Jhonny, a fisher and university student studying biology, watched the shoreline recede year after year until their home was swallowed by the sea. He now worries for the families who still live by the water, knowing that stronger tides are expected soon. For him, relocating is not just about safety—it’s an act of love and protection for the community and way of life that shaped him.
