Good Practices for Climate Change Adaptation

Full Solution

by Herlinda Silva, Instituto Tecnológico de Chetumal (ITCH)

The catalog provides best practices to reduce climate change impacts.

Amigos de Sian Ka´an, Instituto Tecnológico de Chetumal, The Nature Conservancy

The catalog compiles best practices that prevent or reduce the impact of climate change on coastal areas in Quintana Roo State, México with focus on land use, construction and ecosystems management. Solution partners systematized the experiences of hotels, dwellers, architects and engineers living and working along the Méxican Caribbean and identified almost 50 best practices. The catalog is a key component of the Climate Risk and Resilience Initiative lead by The Nature Conservancy.

Last update: 28 Mar 2019

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Context

Challenges addressed

Ecosystem loss

Lack of alternative income opportunities

Lack of public and decision maker’s awareness

People and infrastructure in Quintana Roo are vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Good practices that reduce this vulnerability are not sufficiently implemented, and traditional construction practices are not valued by modern developers.

Scale of implementation

Local

Ecosystems

Deep sea

Coral reef

Theme

Adaptation

Cities and infrastructure

Location

Quintana Roo, México

Central America

Process

Summary of the process

The four building blocks are part of the larger process. The first two building blocks laid down a solid foundation: the core team, the team charter and the involvement of stakeholders with clear roles and responsibilities. Then, a carefully planned data collection and reviewing process allowed a solid systematization of experiences and practices. The core team was flexible and adapted the plan based on lessons learned from the process. Finally, working with the right partners and allies, it was a straightforward process to scale up dissemination, increasing the impact of the catalog beyond its original intent.

Building Blocks

Strategic project alliance

Development of the best practices catalog was facilitated by a core team of experienced partners, each one with a distinct role and niche. A team charter details each partner’s role and responsibilities. The core partners were: The state environmental agency, which aims to reduce risks to coastal communities and the tourism industry. The agency was key to align partners’ interests but did not participate in the core team. A regional tourism initiative, which has worked for 10 years in the area to reduce tourism impacts on the environment. The initiative has developed catalogs of best practices, provided training and technical assistance, and serves on technical committees to review municipal land use zoning. The local architecture school trains both students and professionals, and works with municipalities to improve urban conditions, land use zoning and building codes. The school involved faculty and students from ocean management, biology, and engineering sectors, and provided faculty time and facilities. A global NGO partner developed tools to assess coastal climate change risks and to promote the use of natural defenses. The organization helped form alliances and partnerships, and provided funding to conduct the process.

Enabling factors

The existence of partnerships with the right capacities that complemented each other needs and abilities.
Availability of resources and funding.
Alignment of interests and willingness to collaborate.

Lesson learned

People and entrepreneurs are willing to collaborate given the right conditions: transparency, an organized process and clear goals. A core team (3 partners) that leads and convenes a wide range of allies (professional associations, hotels, governments) is an efficient approach. The core team maintains the focus, eases communication and allows other stakeholders to participate.

Interest group engagement

The project core team approached two municipal governments, the regional hotel associations, almost 40 hotel owners and managers, technical institute faculty and architects, and engineers’ associations to assess their interests in participating in the project. Partners organized panels and meetings to present the project, its importance and forms of participation. This phase was critical to fully involve interest groups - not only to provide information, but more importantly, to increase their willingness to use the results. Stakeholders participated in the kick off process, provided information, reviewed results, revised each identified practice, and are currently involved in catalog dissemination.

Enabling factors

Several hurricanes hit the region in the last 13 years, making people aware of their vulnerability and the urgency to address climate change impacts and events. Members of the core team have a long and recognized experience in the state.

Lesson learned

Early involvement of stakeholders and interests groups is important to obtain buy-in in the process and acceptance of the results.

Experiences and practices documentation

A technical team developed the methodology and instruments to collect, organize and asses the information. It included guidance for data collectors, a format to download the information, forms to obtain authorization to publish the answers and pictures of the best practices. Technical institute students were trained in using and testing the data collection instruments. A local environmental NGO focused on the northern section of the State, where they interviewed managers of large tourism corporations and developments, based upon the NGO’s long-term relationship with the tourism industry. The technical institute focused on the southern section of the state and interviewed small-scale hotels and houses owners in coastal communities. The technical institute built a database with the information from both areas. The database was thoroughly revised by the technical team and then revised by local experts (architects, engineers, biologists, oceanographers) in workshops, via email and personal interviews organized by the three organizations.

Enabling factors

Experts were highly interested, and dedicated quality time to the revision, recognizing the importance of the catalog which resulted from their early involvement in the process. As an academic institution, the technical institute organized a group of dedicated students along with multidisciplinary faculty to conduct the survey and revisions in the southern area, while building capacities in the process.

Lesson learned

Devoting enough time to develop the instruments and testing them was crucial for successful data collection. The team did not have to go back to collect further information. Ensuring enough funding and time for all project phases is critical. Partners had time and staff for planning, developing instruments, building alliances, collecting data, integrating the information and for organizing expert reviews. These phases lasted 10 months. However, the final edition and design of the catalog along with appropriate and authorized pictures and diagrams lasted another 10 months - far more time than expected, due to lack of funding and available staff. The delay put at risk the acceptance of the product among stakeholders, whose enthusiasm will naturally fade away.

Regional knowledge transfer

The catalog fills an important information gap in coastal development to reduce impacts from climate change and extreme weather events. After the core team completed the catalog, they expanded and engaged new partners. The catalog and the process was presented in a variety of settings and sectors such as urban development seminars and congresses, the national Chamber of Construction, architects and engineers’ associations and at risk-reduction meetings. As a result, there are many more actors interested in learning about the practices, as well as with the knowledge and tools needed to implement them. Other vulnerable coastal states and countries are interested in the approach. The core partnership is planning training sessions in the state where they are located, and training will soon be conducted in other cities in México to further disseminate the practices.

Enabling factors

Partners have a good standing and enjoy recognition with other relevant organizations, which eases the acceptance of both catalog and approach.

Lesson learned

It is important to identify what stakeholders’ need, and it is critical to develop a concise product to fill that need.

Impacts

The catalog compiled best land use, building and ecosystem management practices that clearly reduce damages from the effects of climate change. Measures, such as building on poles or behind the dunes, maintain healthy coral reefs as a natural barrier, leaving natural flows undisturbed and have proven successful to reduce climate change impacts on coastal communities. The process approach, i.e. a core team, a team charter, and multi-stakeholders engagement, ensures buy in from stakeholders and eases to obtain a solid product. The Nature Conservancy has used this approach with great success to develop climate change adaptation plans, conservation areas plans and eco-regional plans worldwide.

Beneficiaries

Coastal dwellers, tourists and hotels as well as local governments and other industries.

Story

Many institutions, including The Nature Conservancy, have developed climate change adaptation plans that identify a variety of strategies. Plans identify objectives and broad lines of action but generally do not specify aspects and details that stakeholders can directly act upon. For example, some strategies call for changes in land use zoning and building practices to reduce exposure of communities and infrastructure to natural events. However, municipal governments, developers, communities, and resources managers need to know which specific practices need to change. Therefore, partners realized that stakeholders needed a solid catalog of land use zoning, building and ecosystems management practices. The catalog describes each practice, which effects of climate change and impacts are addressed, how the practice actually reduces the impact and what is needed to implement it. Pictures and diagrams further explain the practice. The catalog has been well received by potential users. The Nature Conservancy, Amigos de Sian Ka´an and Instituto Tecnológico de Chetumal are launching a training and dissemination process with Mexican Construction Chambers and Architects and Engineers Associations, and will involve hotel owners and managers as well as other related professionals. Later in the process partners will evaluate how developers and builders are finally implementing the recommended practices.