El Niño event in the Americas and Caribbean

The climate event called El Niño is a natural pattern that has important implications for the ecosystems and biodiversity of the Americas and the Caribbean region, given its frequency, intensity and negative impacts. The prolonged droughts resulting from El Niño are its main manifestation, causing alterations in the dynamics and physiological cycles of ecosystems and species, as well as water deficit and desertification. However, in some regions of the Americas, El Niño manifests itself with increased rainfall, generating floods, landslides and disasters.

This regional brief was prepared by the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) Issue-Based Coalition (IBC) on Climate Change and Resilience. This IBC is part of the Regional Collaboration Platform for LAC (LAC RCP), which was established to guide the restructuring of the United Nations Development System at the regional level.