The institutional capacity to support EbA technology transfer has been built through training and the joint development and implementation of the Long-Term Research Programme (LTRP) in partnership with local universities, for measuring the short- and long-term effects of EbA interventions. The activities included establishing monitoring sites, conducting research activities, collecting data, and publishing findings as technical reports, research papers, bachelor theses, master theses, Ph.D. theses, and peer-reviewed papers.
In Nepal, for example, the development of EbA interventions started with assessing local practices and determining whether these practices can be improved or upscaled before introducing new approaches. Based on these findings, the Chinese and South African experts designed possible interventions together with the local expert and advised on their implementation and monitoring against project indicators and targets.
The technology transfer also took place through inter-regional capacity-building, with the EbA experts, and the project coordinators regularly meeting through the steering committee, workshops, training, site visits, and conferences.
- The LTRP needs to be based on rigorous practice to help form the basis for appropriate and effective decision-making regarding adaptation.
- The willingness of academic institutions to get involved in practical research projects that will improve the evidence for up-scaling EbA.
- The creation of a platform, if possible available in all relevant languages, can help disseminate all this knowledge and facilitate discussions between countries.
- The language barrier can be an issue so having interpreters or having tools and platforms translated can help.
Early capacity-building in countries helps to share scientifically sound data and lessons learned. There are many environmental, economic, and social variables involved in getting EbA to be sustainable, and it is important to document good practices, as well as lessons and challenges from the pilot sites.
The project design enabled all three countries to employ a long-term research programme (LTRP) in partnership with local universities. Together, they measured and reported the short- and long-term effects (ecological, hydrological, and socio-economic) of EbA interventions. With this strong data collection and research component, the project identified lessons that can inform the scaling up of EbA.
The technology transfer and capacity-building activities can be further facilitated by hiring professional interpreters during expeditions, visits, and workshops to overcome language barriers and to increase the benefits of cross-country collaboration.