Under an ecosystem-based adaptation approach and a micro-basin vision, efforts in Esquichá focused on improving livelihoods and ecosystem resilience in order to reduce climate change vulnerability. Tropical storms and hurricans such as the Stand affected communities in the past (water infraestructure, erosion or loss of water springs). Applying an ecosystem approach was part of strengthening governance for climate change adaptation in the Esquichá micro-watershed.

Measures implemented are: 

• protection and recovery of forests in water recharge zones. E.g. protection of pine forests (Abies guatemalensis) that harbour water sources that supply populations in the lower part of the micro-basin.
• Restoration of degraded lands and stabilization of slopes
• Implementation and optimization of agroforestry systems.

Additionally, there was broad acceptance of the need for a more integrated approach to water resource management, partly due to the water scarcity that communities suffer during the dry season and in the upper parts of the micro-basin. The concept of environmental social responsibility was also promoted among communities, whereby upstream communities take measures that benefit downstream communities. 

Governance options and responses for adaptation to climate change are new and must be constantly evolving; desicions and governance pklan need to be flexible; hence adaptation must move forward under a flexible approach. This is possible with the application of EbA measures with a "learning by doing" while using best available sicientific information on climate scenarios and informing policy local and national instruments.

Climate vulnerability in Esquichá was assessed using the CRiSTAL tool ( “Community-based Risk Screening Tool – Adaptation and Livelihoods.")

After a first planing of EbA activities, actions for integrating flexibility were:

• The periodic evaluation of field EbA actions and the adoption of short-term decisions
• Monitoring and evaluation results will be key to include important adjustments
• Inclusion of EbA measures in the Microbasin Management Plan
• Assessment of measures to inform the municipality Development Plan.
• Informing of results to competent authorities as the municipality of the Forest Institute (INAB). This has lead INAB to seek tools to improve the way incentives are assigned and to identify communities located in key water catchment areas.

 The stakeholders of the Esquichá River micro-watershed face governance challenges for adaptation, such as insufficient coordination between the community, municipal, departmental levels, and the sectors. The Council of the Esquichá River micro-watershed, gathers municipalities, communities, and the Communal Nurseries comissions. A multilevel technical support is provided to ensure sustainability:

1. With technical support, the Committee has learned about EbA measures and has incorporated them into the micro-watershed Management Plan. Technical assistance has been provided to identify efforts for its implementation and financing (e.g. forestry incentives). This is how the Committee, now with greater organizational capacity, has had an impact on other instances (Municipal and Departmental Councils, INAB) and has achieved the allocation of funds for the EBA measures.
2. Technical assistance provided on management of communal forest nurseries.
3. Implementing a gender approach that actively involve women in capacity building and decision making. Women have been trained in communication skills, to improve their leadership abilities (https://www.iucn.org/node/29033).
4. Support for the Municipality of Tacaná to integrate adaptation measures into the local planning (Municipal Development Plan).

 The active contribution from local community and the support of other stakeholders has been a critical element to the success of FHA’s effort to protect Gishwati forest, together with a clear perspective on each players’ responsibilities and duties. Also, this successfully influenced the government to upgrade this forest to a national park. 

Restoration of the forest has a higher success rate if native trees are used/planted.  Native tree species will allow the forest to recover and conserve natural habitat. This will optimize the supply of forest benefits and ecosystem services; reduce the risks of natural hazards such as landslides; and enhance options for sustainable livelihood.

The AAS Program of the Forests for Life Movement bridges the support from the corporate and individual donors to the community partners on site. AAS is being tapped by the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs of the different companies, and supported by concerned individual donors and volunteers. These partners provide resources to implement the stages of forest restoration, from seedling production, site preparation, actual tree planting and the three-year maintenance and monitoring.

The Community-based maintenance began by educating and capacitating the partner communities that will be in-charge in ensuring the successful survival of the trees in the rainforestation. The capacity building program of the local partner community entailed teaching the participants with farming techniques, monitoring tools and organizational development skills to ensure a sustainable partnership and high survival of the trees planted.

Alongside the capacity building of the community partners is the opportunity to earn additional income, not only from the activities on restoration, but also facilitates other livelihood activities aligned with the objectives of the movement like seedling production. This substitutes the risk of the local community to engage or allow illegal activities that provides them extra income. Furthermore, the government, through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, tapped people’s organizations to produce native tree seedlings in support of the National Greening Program. This contributed to a more stable and continued form of livelihood to the project’s community beneficiaries.

Forests For Life is an environmental conservation movement/network that envisions the restoration of Philippine rainforests using native tree species with support from various sectors. It began as a movement called ROAD to 2020, which worked with communities, local government units, indigenous peoples, academe, like-minded groups and the youth to bring back the lost forests. Through the movement, Haribon was able to empower local communities, build native tree nurseries, provide guidance in establishing conservation areas, influence policies, organize tree planting drives and encourage the public to take part in citizen science. To date, 13,416 Volunteers and 14 community partners in 30 Municipalities have been mobilized, which significantly shows raised awareness on biodiversity.

The Gili Eco Trust created a service and product in 2012 that stays within a circular economy that not only increased employment opportunities in waste management on Trawangan for the local community, but started to drastically reduce the size of the landfill, whilst offering beautiful handmade unique personalized products to businesses and tourists alike. On top of this, all glass that can’t be upcycled into new glassware, crockery and gifts, gets crushed into a sand, which is then used in the production of bricks (mixing glass sand, fresh water, a bit of glue and cement). The "glass sand bricks" are then sold on Gili Trawangan for buildings. This means that 100% of all glass waste produced on Gili Trawangan can then be used in other projects, to reinvent this originally single use material as a valuable product once more. Using these different techniques, not only providing employment to the local community in the fast growing waste management sector, we are reducing the amount of glass going to landfill and educating the local businesses why and how they can separate all of their waste to create a zero waste to landfill initiative.

Developed attitude and behavior assessment surveys targeting specific groups (e.g., visitors, local communities, and productive sectors) who visit or reside near MPAs carried out at different times. A web-based “Friends of the SMPA Society” comprised of national and international scientists and members of civil society were put in place. The project developed an information dissemination and communication strategy specific in marine topics, which will inform the general population about MPAs through print, audiovisual (radio, TV, newspapers, and internet), as well as dissemination meetings. The main activities were: a)Dissemination campaigns; b)implementation of the SAMP web page; c)awareness campaigns in educational centers (schools and universities); and d) establishment of a data base of images and videos bilingual (Spanish and English). SAMP promoted in international and national events of scientific nature, such as seminars, congresses, side-event in COP of Biodiversity, among others. Main results: 11% increase over the baseline of behavior and attitudes test scores; 5 new funding proposals leveraged by the “Friends of the SMPA Society"; national recognition at the end of the GEF-Project promoted a participatory roadmap for sustainability of next 5 years reacheness.