Sanjen Himal forms the major water source of the Chilime River, Rasuwa District, Nepal.
Photo: TMI/Ichchha Thapa
The Ecosystem-based Adaptation approach is widely recognized as an important strategy for adapting to the impacts of climate change. It is cost-effective, yields multiple benefits, and can be implemented by communities themselves. But in mountain areas, on-the-ground EbA measures have not been widely implemented. To help build support for EbA approaches in mountains, both on the ground and in national and international policy, The Mountain Institute (TMI) and IUCN have joined forces to launch a three-year program working on EbA in key mountain regions.
Our goal is to expand EbA work started during the “Mountain EbA Flagship Programme” in the Himalayas (Nepal), Mount Elgon (Uganda) and the Andes (Peru) and to support the EbA approach being adopted in neighboring Bhutan, Kenya and Colombia. Our Mountain EbA Program seeks to benefit local people directly, as well as the millions downstream who depend on the water and other benefits that come from mountains. We will also identify and assist conservation and development projects already underway that could benefit from Mountain EbA practices. The EbA experience and data we develop through this program will be instrumental to building wider support and generating financing for EbA within national governments and at international forums.
“Scaling Up Mountain Ecosystem-based Adaptation: Building Evidence, Replicating Success, and Informing Policy" is a project that is part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI). The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) supports this initiative on the basis of a decision adopted by the German Bundestag.
