Addressing the Challenges in Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) Implementation

Climate change impacts everything across all industries. From farming to construction, all sectors must adapt to the changes it brings. Various adaptation strategies are in development, in search of effective, equitable, and scalable pathways toward climate resilience. Among them is Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA), but proper implementation remains a challenge.

Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA)

Ecosystem-based adaptation is a climate resilience strategy that centers nature-based solutions and ecosystem services. To put it simply, it involves the restoration, conservation, and sustainable management of our ecosystems that would reduce the impacts of climate change on people and the environment, such as heatwaves, storms, and other extreme weather events.

Some examples are how mangrove forests are natural flood defences and how urban wetlands are natural water management systems that also provide flood management. Though ecosystem-based adaptation has been proven effective, mainstreaming the approach remains a difficult task.

Challenges in EbA Implementation

The main challenge of EbA is the ever-evolving nature of climate change. The world has been experiencing rapid, sudden, or thorough changes caused or exacerbated by global warming and climate change. So, creating climate adaptation programs and policies that can keep up with the pace is key. Besides that, other challenges that often occur in EbA implementation include:

• Knowledge gap and conflicting principles: Access to knowledge and information, especially at the local level for primary users, is limited. The gap between EbA and tradition also plays a part. For instance, some people may be reluctant to try a new approach due to spiritual ties to a certain practice or area. 
• Short-term vs. long-term interests: In reality, the draw of short-term economic interest often trumps the long-term benefits of new practices. This is an understandable consideration for people with immediate income needs, but governments and the private sector also tend to overlook forward-looking approaches for political advantages or profit. 
• Integration and engagement failure: Sometimes, EbA approaches are too narrowly focused, abandoning the link between conservation and economic needs. Top-down approaches that fail to engage local communities—a key stakeholder—are also the culprit.
• Gender disparity and social dynamics: Case studies reveal that women are more open to new knowledge, training period, and new practices. However, the decision-making primarily remains on men. Those who are younger or with higher education are more receptive, but are also more likely to pursue other professional opportunities.
• Limited funding: Limited access to funds and financing mechanisms, especially for small-holder practitioners, hinder the application and scale-up efforts of EbA.

Strategies and Recommendations

With the challenges in mind, below are some recommended key strategies to smooth the way for EbA implementation:

• Prepare extensive education efforts for practitioners, local communities, and local governments. Beyond data and information, actionable knowledge will be useful to primary users. Additionally, knowledge, wisdom, and practices from the ground must also be brought up to global levels to unlock new innovations.
• Address infrastructure needs for both information and tools. This will help pave the way for wider adaptation and mitigate the risk of deepening inequality due to unequal access to basic resources.
• Provide financial assistance as well as supporting livelihood options for primary users. This addresses the economic barrier and allows more stakeholders at all levels to experiment with new approaches.
• Engage Indigenous Peoples and local communities from the planning and designing stage to the implementation and monitoring to better understand their needs, bridge the knowledge system gap, and improve real-time data gathering on the ground.
• Analyze gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI) dynamics of target areas and integrate the findings in the design and implementation of EbA initiatives. This will help ensure effective and inclusive outcomes. 
• Redirect and revitalize existing funding, subsidies, and financing mechanisms to encourage and incentivize EbA implementation. It is also crucial to engage the private sector and start public-private partnerships for EbA.
• Ensure cohesive policies across ministries and government entities, including integration to national and regional planning, for EbA solutions. Policies must also enable and encourage local communities to lead the way and create changes from the ground.

Mainstreaming Ecosystem-based Adaptation

Beyond the proper and successful implementation of ecosystem-based adaptation, its long-term maintenance is also essential. EbA programs must be able to last for a long time. They should be flexible and sustainable but not easily over-written, especially with programs or policies that are harmful.

Furthermore, in the effort to mainstream ecosystem-based adaptation, it is important to understand that ecosystem health alone is not the be-all end-all solution to resilience. EbA implementation cannot occur in silo. Rather, EbA should be an integrated aspect of a holistic climate adaptation strategy, along with engineered (gray) solutions, hybrid approaches, as well as social measures and structural transformations.

Editor: Lalita Fitrianti