Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA)—a type of nature-based solution (NbS)—can generate social and economic returns and provide multiple benefits including improved health, biodiversity protection, food security, and alternative livelihood opportunities, all of which can build resilience to climate change.
Healthy and resilient ecosystems are recognized in various international bodies and agendas, including the Paris Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. Specifically, EbA is gaining importance since it recognizes that ecosystem services help reduce communities’ vulnerability to climate change.
National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes present a strategic opportunity to raise the profile of NbS approaches, providing a framework—and, potentially, financial resources—for implementation at scale.
