Pages: Expert-insights-and-learning.-Why-do-biodiversity-and-adaptation-actions-matter

Name: Expert-insights-and-learning.-Why-do-biodiversity-and-adaptation-actions-matter.aspx
Title: Expert insights and learning: Why do biodiversity and adaptation actions matter?
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NAP Summary: The Nairobi work programme’s biodiversity expert group members addressed questions about biodiversity and grasslands
NAP Description: The Nairobi work programme’s biodiversity expert group members addressed questions about biodiversity and grasslands
Page Content: Climate change, biodiversity and ecosystems are inextricably linked. As the global pandemic is painfully teaching the global community, our health and well-being is also linked to our interaction with nature. The Nairobi Work Programme - the UNFCCC’s knowledge-to-action hub on adaptation and resilience - is working with an expert group to strengthen knowledge about forests and grasslands biodiversity, so that countries can integrate these issues in national plans. 


 
Listening to different perspectives
Amidst government representatives and a global audience, the Nairobi work programme’s biodiversity expert group members addressed questions about biodiversity and grasslands.
 
Q: What is the difference between ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA), and nature-based solutions (NbS) to climate change?
A: NbS is an umbrella term for conservation, restoration & sustainable use of nature to address societal challenges. EbA is a subset of NbS that looks at the challenge of climate change adaptation. EbA is also different from conservation in general as it responds to particular risks or vulnerabilities that have been assessed in a systematic way.
 

There are multiple related terms like Building with Nature (BwN). It is important to use language for adaptation that's suited to a particular context and community, and ensure that societal and environmental safeguards are considered. 

Q: What is the potential and limits of ecosystem-based adaptation, and nature-based solutions to climate change? Is there a danger to over-sell these solutions? 
A: The key is effective monitoring and adaptive management, and integrating any adaptation action as part of a larger strategy. In fact, the definition of EbA is integrating biodiversity and ecosystems into an overall adaptation strategy. The danger is not considering or integrating environmental and social safeguards in adaptation action.
 
Q: What are some of the challenges for nature-based solutions?
A: One of the biggest challenges for good NbS is the need for the joined-up thinking/planning across different adaptation planning processes and instruments. This need to link local levels (local knowledge and institutions) with national planning and broader global trends. Some of the best examples of effective NbS links governance structures and decision-making at all these levels. See the examples described below.
 
Q: How can we foster more multilevel governance for greater coherence and impact?
A: The example of Isiolo County, Kenya illustrates Ward Level Climate Change Planning Committees supported by County Level Climate Change Planning Committees. The ward-level planning is then embedded in broader national planning processes and institutions (such as the National Adaptation Plan and National Drought Management Authority).
 
The case study on transboundary planning in the Hindu Kush Himalayan subregion outlines experiences with multi-level governance to implement adaptation strategies, including establishment of regional steering committees, alignment with regional conservation/development goals, and local stakeholder engagement. 
 
Q: How can the private sector engage in nature-based solutions?
A: The private sector can engage to help realize multiple benefits. One example is the use of private land of a large corporation in Brazil for reforestation efforts to maintain hydrological regimes in the face of increased flooding.
 
Q: How can local authorities be empowered for better nature-based adaptation measures?
A: Local authorities are often not given the opportunity to stay updated on the NbS discourse. South Africa has a local authority training module for local governments designed to address some of these challenges. Empowerment and capacity building need to be a strong part of NbS.
 
Linking climate change, biodiversity and nature based approaches is increasingly being noted as a priority as highlighted through recent UN reports. Further learning and technical insights on ‘the role of forests and grasslands ecosystems and biodiversity in adaptation’ will be presented in a scoping paper, which will be published by the Nairobi work programme in April 2021.
 
More information
The 2020 UN Climate Dialogues took place in late 2020, with nearly 60 events taking place. More than 300 virtual participants attended the ‘Addressing knowledge gaps: Biodiversity and climate change adaptation’ event. The lively dialogue included inputs from Veronica Lo, NWP expert consultant; Houria Djoudi, CIFOR; Ali Raza Rizvi, IUCN; Nakul Chettri, ICIMOD; and Balkisou Buba, Network of Indigenous and Local Communities for the Sustainable Management of Forest Ecosystems in Central Africa. Representatives of the previous COP 25 Presidency (Andrés Landerretche Moreno, Chile) and the incoming UK COP 26 Presidency (Jonathan Stern, UK) provided retrospective and future-oriented remarks on the critical role of nature in adaptation strategies. You can watch the recorded event here.
 

For updates on the NWP’s biodiversity work: Click here


Additional coverage of the climate dialogue event provided by the IISD Earth Negotiations Bulletin: Click here

Other NWP thematic work can be found on the Adaptation Knowledge Portal: Click here
 
The NWP scoping paper on 'Biodiversity and climate change adaptation: the role of forest and grasslands ecosystems' will be published in April 2021.  

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Article Date: 2/19/2021

Created at 2/19/2021 12:21 PM by Francis Opolot
Last modified at 7/21/2021 5:54 PM by Serkant Samurkas
 
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