Using Information Communication Technologies (ICT) tools to facilitate participatory climate change vulnerability assessments addresses the challenge of effectively engaging a wide range of stakeholders, including those at different literacy and capacity levels, to capture local and traditional knowledge as well as stakeholder input on priority needs and opportunities for resilience building in the Caribbean islands.

Many ecosystem services in Morocco are being over-utilised and increasingly threatened by the impacts of climate change. The solution applied includes (a) the development of the legal and institutional framework in support of the Moroccan Government, (b) awareness raising,(c) incorporatiion of ecosystem services and climate change adaptation into regional and municipal development plans, (d) improved environmental monitoring, (e) assistance in making use of Morocco’s biological resources.

Overexploitation of forests in the region, overgrazing, forest fires, rapid urbanisationand the impacts of climate change are endangering forest functions in the Mediterranean region. The GIZ Regional Programme ‘Capacity Development for Forest Ecosystem-based Adaptation to Climate Change (FEbA)’ is tackling these issues by (a) linking non-forest actors with those engaged in forest management and (b) by capacity development targeting in first instance decision makers.

A pilot was implemented to underpin the incorporation of an EbA approach into the planning tools for natural protected areas. The necessary methodologies and tools were developed, the vulnerability assessment was completed, the specific areas and the measures to be implemented were identified, including the communal management of native grasslands, vicuñas management (a wild relative of the llama), the expansion and conservation of wetlands and the restoration of water infrastructure.

The solution aims at sustainable development in coastal areas of the East Asian Seas region by reducing and preventing impacts of natural disasters, climate change and sea level rise. It provides references and capacity building for national and local authorities in coastal and marine spatial planning. National adaptation activities and best practices for capacity building and field application tailored to needs and priorities of each country are provided.

The catalog compiles best practices that prevent or reduce the impact of climate change on coastal areas in Quintana Roo State, México with focus on land use, construction and ecosystems management. Solution partners systematized the experiences of hotels, dwellers, architects and engineers living and working along the Méxican Caribbean and identified almost 50 best practices. The catalog is a key component of the Climate Risk and Resilience Initiative lead by The Nature Conservancy.

Ecosystem based adaptation (EbA) solutions were identified and selected in a participatory process conducted across low-lying atoll islands and high islands communities of Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) was conducted to assess the costs and benefits of each EbA solution, in terms of welfare losses, due to the implementation of projects or policies, and welfare gains associated with the improved provision of ecosystem services.

Due to increasing pressure on vulnerable natural resources from tourism, local development, and climate change, state government planners in Melekeok (Palau) have identified a need to prioritize land use planning. A 3D model of the state was created using a participatory process, utlizing the knowledge of all demographic sectors of the community. The end result is a 12’ x 10.5’ x 6” model of that serves as a tool to help guide decision makers and community members how to plan for climate change adaptation, manage natural resource, and address land zoning issues. 

To face the climate change challenge, the City government embarked to undertake activities they believed would increase the adaptive capacities of the constituents. The Project Maasin City was a beneficiary of a packge of support that consisted of installation of their watch tower, a fish-finder radar system, a radio and communications system that connected the City to its neighboring municipalities along the Sogod Bay of Southern Leyte.

Using Information Communication Technologies (ICT) tools to facilitate participatory climate change vulnerability assessments addresses the challenge of effectively engaging a wide range of stakeholders, including those at different literacy and capacity levels, to capture local and traditional knowledge as well as stakeholder input on priority needs and opportunities for resilience building in the Caribbean islands.

The ‘Valuating Climate Adaptation Options’ study used ecosystem service and cost-benefit analysis to illuminate the trade-offs between different climate adaptation strategies on Placencia Peninsula, Belize. It accounts for coastal-marine ecosystem services like tourism opportunities, protection from storms and sea level rise, and spiny lobster catch to make informed decisions.

This solution promotes the integrated management of coastal watersheds that drain into the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf of California by aligning the investments of public and private agencies to address climate change impacts and coastal and marine conservation. It is the foundation for enduring cross-sectorial coordination and local participation to maintain and recover watershed functions that deliver ecosystem services, which benefit cities and rural communities.

The project targeted disaster and climate risk reduction as an integral part of an Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) process conjunctly taking place in DRC. Pilot ecosystem-based measures aimed to reduce soil/gulley erosion and flood risk in two sites (upstream and downstream) in the Lukaya Basin, while improving livelihoods and income. Capacity was developed locally and nationally on ecosystem-based measures and national advocacy on EbA/Eco-DRR was supported through IWRM. 

The project took an Eco-DRR approach addressing hazards and vulnerability to reduce disaster risk. However, the project activities also addressed climate change adaptation through working with climate change impacts and people’s vulnerability to change through the ecosystem-based measures involved in IWRM. Thus these measures can be seen as both Eco-DRR and EbA, while the implementation framework was Eco-DRR.

This pilot project aimed to demonstrate how ecosystem-based measures could mitigate climate hazards and reduce vulnerabilities in Haiti through a ridge to reef approach. It implemented revegetation and sustainable vetiver farming to reduce risk of erosion and inland flooding, revegetation of coastal forest to buffer against storm surges and coastal flooding and created sustainable and resilient fisheries to increase local resilience; it also improved capacity and supported national advocacy.

The project undertook an Eco-DRR approach by targeting hazards (flooding, storm surges and erosion) and vulnerability (due to unsustatinable management) and increasing disaster prepardeness (e.g. early warning) to reduce disaster risk. However, these hazards are climatic hazards and impacts that are increasing due to climate change and increasing peoples vulnerability to climate change. Therefore, the ecosystem-based measures in this project undertaken are also EbA.

The páramo – the typical moorland of the high Andes – is an important ecosystem as it provides key ecosystem services to local communities, especially regarding water regulation. Nevertheless, this ecosystem is under severe threat mainly due to overuse and climate change. With a projected reduction in annual precipitation in Tungurahua, it is ever more important to conserve the páramo ecosystem. The solution integrated climate change into planning and strengthened local management structures.

The solution supports Vietnamese government’s efforts to anchor EbA solutions systemically into land use planning law as well as mainstreaming into climate change regional action plans at provincial level in Ha Tinh and Quang Binh. This helps raising awareness on EbA approaches. Many project partners have shown interest and commitments in integrating EbA solutions into current policy elaborating processes and daily works based on vulnerability assessments and capacity development measures.

Using Information Communication Technologies (ICT) tools to facilitate participatory climate change vulnerability assessments addresses the challenge of effectively engaging a wide range of stakeholders, including those at different literacy and capacity levels, to capture local and traditional knowledge as well as stakeholder input on priority needs and opportunities for resilience building in the Caribbean islands.

This solution promotes the integrated management of coastal watersheds that drain into the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf of California by aligning the investments of public and private agencies to address climate change impacts and coastal and marine conservation. It is the foundation for enduring cross-sectorial coordination and local participation to maintain and recover watershed functions that deliver ecosystem services, which benefit cities and rural communities.

The solution recovered natural conditions and protects 3,900 ha of unique peat swamp forest ecosystem. The conservation of Melaleuca trees found in this forest type is a national priority because they buffer floods, recharge aquifers and provide habitat for endangered wetland species. About 25,000 people living in the park’s buffer zone benefit through the provision of clean water and small cultivated fish.

The regional strategy addresses coastal erosion due to sea-level rise, policy and operational gaps in six East Asian Seas countries. National authorities assess the national setting, gaps and needs and identify directions and priority actions for addressing coastal erosion. National reports on results and recommendations are presented, discussed and agreed through public participation and a national consultation process with all stakeholders.

Local communities in coastal areas were supported to face to erosion and coastal pollution through:
– Awareness raising on vulnerability to these threats;
– Reduction of the effects of coastal erosion on the city of Aného to ensure the integrity of the area and enable sustainable socio-economic development: refection of the west bank of the mouth of the Lake Togo, rehabilitation of the road along the shore and protection of threatened homes and riverside hotel infrastructure.