Emerging lessons for mainstreaming ecosystem-based adaptation: strategic entry points and processes

Description

This report was prepared by the German GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) with the aim to improve the understanding of barriers and successes of mainstreaming processes regarding EbA in climate change adaptation. Those mainstreaming processes are of utmost importance to encourage and support the implementation of EbA. The report presents, amongst others, the knowledge, experience and lessons learned from practitioners designing and implementing EbA measures, thus providing valuable insights.

Following an introduction about Ecosystem-based Adaptation and the importance of their mainstreaming, key entry points for EbA mainstreaming were identified and presented together with respective practical case-studies (e.g. the integration of EbA in land use planning instruments for municipal development processes or nature-based solutions to achieve adaptation objectives of sectoral plans). Although the case study countries selected are located in Africa and Asia, the overall findings on mainstreaming aspects are of general practical relevance. The entry points described and assessed in the study cover different governance levels, namely: National planning and development processes; Sectoral policy and regulatory frameworks; Local and community planning processes; Engaging with the private sector; and Capacity building as a central mechanism to enable EbA mainstreaming.

Eleven emerging lessons for mainstreaming Ecosystem-based Adaptation have been identified covering the following Areas:

• Influencing policy processes: identifying windows of opportunity for mainstreaming EbA
• Moving beyond silos: strengthen institutional collaboration as an important factor for the implementation of EbA
• Engaging multiple actors in the process
• Effective communication and increased capacity: the basics for mainstreaming EbA

In addition barriers for mainstreaming Ecosystem-based Adaptation were identified, based on the practical experiences from the case studies countries, e.g. the limited horizontal coherence of policies, monitoring and evaluation of EbA measures or overlap of institutional mandates. Recommendations for future strategies for EbA mainstreaming involve the importance of healthy ecosystems (improve the ecosystem resiliency by reducing the effects of non-climatic stressors) and the mainstreaming of EbA objectives into national strategies.

The study was carried out within the global project "Mainstreaming EbA-Strengthening Ecosystem-based Adaptation in Planning and Decision Making processes". 

Reference information