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Climate Resilience: Putting Ecosystem-Based Adaptation to Work. Dr Mark Smith Head IUCN Water Programme Gland, Switzerland Water Day Barcelona November 2009. Water, ecosystems & climate change. Water is at the centre.
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Climate Resilience: Putting Ecosystem-Based Adaptation to Work Dr Mark Smith Head IUCN Water Programme Gland, Switzerland Water Day Barcelona November 2009
Water, ecosystems & climate change • Water is at the centre • Ecosystems provide vital services… the ‘natural infrastructure’ for adaptation • What has IWRM taught us about adaptation and the role of ecosystems? • what needs to be done • how it needs to be done • Where does EbA fit into climate resilience?
Climate vulnerable basin • weak hydrological buffering • narrow economic & livelihood dependency • infrastructure that can’t cope • infrastructure that impairs hydrological buffering and livelihood diversification • vulnerable people not empowered to act: centralised decision making • conflict destroys coordination • ossified institutions • new information & knowledge not available or in use
Climate resilient river basin • buffering moderates the hydrograph • diverse livelihoods and economy • sustainable infrastructure portfolios: engineered & natural • infrastructure management for watershed services and economic diversification • vulnerable people empowered to act: governance enables self organisation • adaptive institutions, set up for learning • accessible information, knowledge & skills
Resilience shift: KYB / Lake Chad • drought aggravating poverty • failed dam & irrigation projects • siltation & weed infestation • rising conflict • paralysis • shared information • consensus management plan • pilot ecosystem & livelihood restoration • conflict resolution • water charter: participatory governance
Resilience shift: Tacanà, Guatemala • deforested watersheds • degraded farming systems • social upheaval • downstream disaster • weak coordination • local coordination of priorities • landscape restoration & diversification • social entrepreneurship • municipal – provincial liaison • disaster planning
Resilience in practice • economy • livelihoods • nature & services • Tacana • Attapeu 1. Diversity 2. Sustainable Infrastructure & Technologies • engineering responses • natural infrastructure • sustainable & adaptable mgt • Pangani • KYB / L Chad • participatory governance • empowerment • adaptive institutions • Volta • Mekong 3. Self-Organisation • knowledge & skills • climate information • new adaptive strategies • Okavango • BASIM 4. Learning
Key messages • Water is the medium for climate change impacts • adaptation will be more effective where it uses and builds on lessons from WRM • EbA builds adaptation solutions • what: building ecosystem services and natural infrastructure • how: fostering decentralisation and empowerment • Climate resilience is key • people-centred, putting EbA to work • 4 components, ecosystems embedded • coherent, coordinated, multi-sectoral policy and practice