The SW CASC acknowledges that Tribes not only in the Southwest, but across the nation are leading the way in addressing climate change through adaptation planning and mitigation efforts. The innovative strategies influenced by traditional knowledge will advance the actions taken to address climate change. The SW CASC continuously works to collaborate, partner, and support Tribes in their efforts. We describe our strategy for collaborating with our Tribal partners in our Tribal Engagement Strategy. Additionally, an incredible resource for anyone working with Tribes is a recently published guide to Building Authentic Collaborations with Tribal Communities. This guide was developed by SW CASC partners at the Climate Science Alliance (CSA), and was created from conversations at SWAF 2021, which was co-hosted by the SW CASC and CSA.

The SW CASC not only continues to engage with Tribal partners, but also provides support through funding opportunities that help support Tribal communities mitigate and adapt to climate change impacts. The SW CASC is partnering with the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to support two Tribal Climate Resilience Liaisons that serve as important resources to Tribal Nations and Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) within the SW CASC region (Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah). They provide information, technical assistance, and access to subject matter experts necessary to support local climate resilience research, planning, and implementation efforts.