Events, meeting reports, and presentations

As part of the cross-network FEBA, Environment and Humanitarian Action Network (EHAN), and Partnership for Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction (PEDRR) working group on EbA in Humanitarian & Post-Disaster contexts, this webinar introduced the potential of nature-based solutions in humanitarian contexts, and explored opportunities to better harness NbS to meet humanitarian needs and deliver a range of benefits.

To watch the webinar, visit the YouTube recording here. The IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions is accessible here.

To mark World Cities Day, the FEBA Urban EbA Working Group, PlanAdapt, and the Green-Gray Community of Practice co-hosted the webinar to showcase urban EbA in the Global South by highlighting three case studies from India, Colombia, and Kenya, to promote the mainstreaming of EbA approaches as a cornerstone of climate adaptation in urban contexts.

The 6th EbA Knowledge Day, hosted by FEBA and GIZ in a first-ever virtual format, focused on the opportunities, challenges and examples of linking climate change and biodiversity conservation efforts through EbA. Policy makers, practitioners, donors and researchers exchanged ideas and experiences through a series of presentations, panels and interactive sessions. Key points included that especially in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, climate change impacts further exacerbates exists vulnerabilities of communities; but EbA measures have the potential to address climate, biodiversity, public health, and green economic recovery in an integrative manner.  The EbA Knowledge Day also explored challenges in mainstreaming EbA and accelerating strong political will at the highest level.

Download the documentation of the 6th EbA Knowledge Day here, and view the recordings of the welcome session, panel discussion, as well as the high-level Minister remarks from the Hon. Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, MOE Costa Rica, the Hon. Fabiola Martha Muñoz Dodero, MOE Peru, the Hon. Malik Amin Aslam, MOE Pakistan, the Hon. Saleh Al-kharabsheh, MOE Jordan, and the Hon. Yasmine Fouad, MOE Egypt.

Biodiversity, Climate Change and People: How to monitor and evaluate efforts to increase resilience

The 5th EbA Knowledge Day was jointly organized by GIZ, IUCN and IIED under FEBA network in the framework of UNFCCC SB 50. During the day, UN negotiators, policy makers, practitioners, researchers, and donors working on issues relevant to climate adaptation, ecosystem management and human resilience got together to enhance knowledge on assessing effectiveness of EbA measures and to better understand governance frameworks relevant for EbA mainstreaming. Key messages from the Knowledge Day were:

• EbA effectiveness and governance are interlinked topics,
• Robust monitoring & evaluation systems are needed to underline the cost-effectiveness of EbA and to estimate more in detail the number of people benefitting,
• Governance of EbA is of crucial importance, as appropriate governance structures ensure that EbA as an approach can be mainstreamed and included in national plans and strategies,

2018 marks ten years since the term “Ecosystem-based Adaptation” was coined by IUCN, its Members and partners at UNFCCC COP14 in Poznan, Poland.

On December 13^th, 2018 we convened a high-level session to reflect on the successes and setbacks in mainstreaming EbA into worldwide adaptation and development implementation.

An event on the sidelines of the 2018 High Level Political Forum emphasized that global agreements must be translated for policy change at the local level, as the SDGs will be implemented "on the ground, not in Conference Room 4".

Keynote speaker Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator, called for land restoration to be embedded in the larger sustainable development community, and said it can be used to address inequality.

Friends of EbA such as TMG Thinktank, GIZ, UN Environment, and IUCN joined other partners in hosting this event. Read more.

The concept of using biodiversity and ecosystems to adapt to climate change – Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) – has emerged as a promising approach due to an increased recognition of the multiple environmental and socioeconomic benefits they provide. We are taking the opportunity this year as the 10th anniversary of EbA (EbA+10) to reflect on the progress and possibilities of EbA. Project implementation has revealed that successful EbA at scale is limited and therefore the approach has yet to reach its full potential. To plan effective and feasible EbA interventions it is necessary to have a more systematic consideration of the complexity of social ecological systems to understand their vulnerabilities to climate change and address them. This jointly held side event addressed these challenges based on the diverse experiences of Friends of EbA (FEBA) members IISD and IUCN.

The event was well attended by both Parties and organisations including the representatives of the CBD Secretariat. The objective was to share knowledge and experiences to enhance on-ground implementation of adaptation projects through focusing on the biodiversity-adaptation nexus and introducing tools and methodologies. 

A specific focus was the new Adaptation, Livelihoods and Ecosystems (ALivE) Planning Tool developed by IISD in collaboration with IUCN. ALivE is a practical computer-based Ecosystem based Adaptation (EbA) planning tool designed to support its users in organizing and analyzing information to plan effective EbA options. The participants discussed the need to link biodiversity conservation with climate change efforts and breaking existing silos. It was proposed to develop specific guidelines to help Parties incorporate EbA and DRR components into the NBSAPs. FEBA will work with the CBD Secretariat to assess and facilitate the proposed guidelines for NBSAPs.

Download the event presentations:

ALivE: Adaptation, Livelihoods and Ecosystems Planning Tool - Anika Terton, IISD

Enhancing effectiveness and mainstreaming of EbA: Colombia's Case Study - Oscar Guevara, WWF Colombia

Co-benefits for Biodiversity and Climate Change - Risa Smith, WCPA Protected Areas Climate Change Specialist Group

Enhancing Capacity, Knowledge and Technology Support to Build Climate Resilience of Vulnerable Developing Countries (EbA South) Project - Tatirose Vijitpan, UN Environment IEMP

A Navigator of Tools and Methodologies for EbA Practitioners and Planners - Daniela Guaras, UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre

Read more: Germany confirms commitment to climate and biodiversity finance

IUCN's Director General Inger Andersen and Norbert Gorißen, Head of IKI, BMUB made welcoming remarks, followed by remarks from country representatives championing EbA and NbS, including:

• Ms. Lina Pohl, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, El Salvador
• Mr. José Galdames, Secretary of State, Ministry of Energy, Natural Resources, Environment and Mining, Honduras
• Dr. Johanita Ndahimananjara, Minister of Environment, Ecology and Forests, Madagascar: “Ecosystem-based Adaptation approach is confirmed by Madagascar, in order to preserve natural resources, and at the same time to reduce risks of catastrophes.”
• Dr. Mary Goretti Kitutu, Minister for the Environment, Uganda: “EbA influenced the integration of biodiversity, ecosystem goods and services for adaptation and mitigation, in the climate change policy. We now have the climate change policy.”
• Mr. Vo Tuan Nhan, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Vietnam: “Recently Vietnam has been implementing many EbA activities in different regions, including coastal and mountainous area. We also have integrated EbA in our social-economic-environmental programs at Vietnam. EbA model will be further implemented in Vietnam for increasing adaptation capacity and resilience for communities and economic sectors.”

Closing remarks were made by Sakhile Koketso, representing the CBD Executive Secretary. View the photo gallery.

To conclude the first week of lecture seminars at Bonn University IUCN’s Ali Raza Rizvi featured as keynote speaker at a talk on establishing standards and criteria for ecosystem-based adaptation projects. The talk as well as the panel which followed introduced methods for developing criteria which can help quantify valuations for EbA projects, and produce a shift from project based solutions to a process based solution. Michael Beck from The Nature Conservancy demonstrated a model showing potential for $625 million in avoided flood damage through adaptation projects in 12 east coast states. Katherine Blackwood also presented her recent project, which has identified 20 specific criteria which can be used to evaluate EbA projects. Mr. Raza Rizvi concluded his discussion by reminding the audience that climate change is a moving target, and adaptation can never be the goal, but only a means towards sustainable development. Watch the session and view the photo gallery. 

On Thursday Arno Sckeyde from GIZ presented on ecosystem-based planning and implementation, followed by a panel discussion with Florencia Zapata (The Mountain Institute), Luna Bharati (IWMI), Xiaoting Jones (IIED) and Michael Hagenlocher (UNU-EHS). Mr. Sckeyde began with a background on the evolution of EbA within international framework dating back to 2008. The conversation then shifted towards a continuum of EbA techniques, from purely ecosystem-based options to political and social options, with case studies from Thailand and Vietnam. Stressed was the need to evaluate both saved wealth and saved health when comparing EbA green infrastructure with traditional grey infrastructure. Panelists emphasized the importance of knowledge sharing when implementing adaptation projects, and promoted the Panorama platform as a vital tool towards communicating results with policymakers. Watch the session and view the photo gallery. 

Vice-chair of the IPCC Youba Sokona was featured among a panel on land degradation focusing on sub-Saharan Africa. The cycle of degradation and migration in the region has led to between $300 billion and $9 trillion USD in economic losses and has left the area vulnerable to food scarcity. Hafdis Aegisdottir, director of the UN University Land Restoration Training program introduced the initiative with a goal to use knowledge sharing to improve agricultural techniques in the region. Claudia Ringler from the IFPRI emphasized the gender component of degradation solutions, and Jones Kharika from the UNCCD connected sustainable land management with UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development. Together, the panel highlighted the need for innovative approaches in addressing food security issues. Watch the session and view the photo gallery. 

The second of five lectures at Bonn University, ZEF focused on ecosystem services and climate change. Thomas Koetz opened the presentation with a description of the IBPES and its current goals. IBPES was established in 2012 with the vision of providing to the biodiversity field what IPCC provides to climate. By providing objective scientific assessments to policy makers the organization strengthens the science to policy interface. Already IBPES has identified that $577 billion in annual global food production relies on pollination, an amount which is in danger as climate change leads to a decline of global pollinator populations. Marina Kosmus from the GIZ provided a practitioner's perspective, and demonstrated visible connections between nature and economic sectors. She presented a six step approach which assists in identifying dependencies, impacts, risks and opportunities. Souleymane Konate and Girbo Kelboro Mensuro supported the importance of ecosystem services with case studies from Côte d’Ivoire and Ethiopia, respectively. Watch the session and view the photo gallery. 

The lecture series at Bonn University began on Monday with a talk on biodiversity and protected areas in climate change. The panel consisting of two men and four women included IUCN’s Ali Raza Rizvi. The difficulties of modeling sea level rise and other climate change effects was addressed, leading to a discussion over the balance between directing resources towards improved modeling techniques and implementing solutions immediately. Protected areas are an important but sometimes antiquated form of environmental protection, and as climate change triggers changes in flora and fauna the need to adjust these areas accordingly arises. Only half of protected areas have management plans and only half of those plans are implemented, a discrepancy which needs to be at the forefront of rethinking protected area objectives. Other topics discussed included adjusting protecting areas as target species migrate with climate change, focusing on the connectivity between protected areas, especially in marine environments, and the relationships between national parks and nearby communities. Watch the session and view the photo gallery.

GIZ, IUCN, IIED and FEBA invited around 55 delegates and representatives from governments, international organizations, NGOs and research to share knowledge and practical experiences for strengthening EbA into policy frameworks based on practical examples. Felix Ries (Programme Office of BMUB’s International Climate Initiative) opened the event by focusing on two main points, communicating the benefits of ecosystem-based approaches and developing financing strategies. During a short panel discussion moderated by Ali Raza Rizvi, speakers from UN-Environment, Government of Mexico, Oxford University and The Nature Conservancy Micronesia provided insights and practical experiences for demonstrating EbA benefits and financing options. A marketplace session - including seven concrete examples and tools from IUCN, IIED, GIZ, RARE, DIE, FEBA and PANORAMA, for assessing, communicating and sharing EbA benefits - served as a platform for further knowledge exchange among participants. Download the full event documentation and view the photo gallery.