There is a continuous process of capacity building with local communities and institutions to identify, design and implement ecosystem-based adaptation (EBA) measures, generating evidence on their benefits, and creating conditions for their sustainability.

The process includes not only theoretical workshops but also: technical assistance, field practices, exchange tours and a diploma for municipal technicians. The process is collaborative and participatory, and the experience was of great learning and empowerment for the groups involved, especially women.

Some examples of activities include:

• Application of the CRiSTAL tool - "Community-based Risk Screening Tool - Adaptation and Livelihoods"  with municipal and community representatives
• Along with 16 communities and the Municipality of Tacaná, the forest restoration strategy was designed and implemented, supporting community nurseries
• Communities are accompanied in the management of forest incentives for sanitation, reforestation and protection actions.
• Local leaders are trained in methodologies to monitor the effects of forest restoration and protection of water sources on food and water security.

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.

Tree Academy Groups (TAGs) are grassroot community led groups of people, formed at parish level under the Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) model, championing conservation. 

We form these groups to build on social networks to spread support, commitment and changes in social norms and behaviours.

To build local capacity to identify and address community environmental needs.

To strengthen capacity for shifting of power balance so that the community gains a voice in decision making, increased access to information and services while addressing many of the underlying social causes of their vulnerability (discrimination, poverty, low self-esteem and self –efficacy, low social status, violence etc).

To mobilize local and external resources to address the issue and establish coordination and monitoring systems to ensure transparency, accountability, and effective management of these resources.

To motivate communities to advocate for policy changes to respond better to their real needs.

To  link communities to ecosystem services, helping to define, improve on, and monitor quality of care from the joint perspectives of community members and service providers, thereby improving availability of, access to, and satisfaction with ecosystem services.

Even though the national law does not cover the groundwater system, the groundwater management has been governed through a series of ordinances, comprehensive plans, and action plans for more than 40 years. Groundwater Preservation Ordinances was established in 1977 for Kumamoto City and in 2001 for Kumamoto Prefecture. The city and prefecture governments jointly developed a comprehensive plan to control groundwater in 1996, incorporating collective input from 17 municipalities in the catchment area into the plan. Later, a second version of the plan in 2008 was developed by the group of 15 municipalities in the catchment, identifying four prioritized areas: 1) improvement of the balance of inflow and outflow of groundwater, 2) protection and improvement the quality of groundwater, 3) raising awareness of citizens for the conservation of groundwater, and 4) establishment of a common goal among stakeholders. A detailed five-year action plan was also developed the following year in order to implement mitigation measures in a timely manner. 

Monitoring was first put in place by ZSL, WWF and finally IUCN. The UniLúrio supported with different roles until now that it became the leading institution for monitoring and sharing of the results. “Against facts, there are no arguments” is a Portuguese saying, but better than facts are when people can see in fisheries and in diving the result of their efforts . Certainly seeing more and bigger fish coming out in their nets is the best argument for LMMA support.

The active engagement of UniLúrio in all the phases of the process, especially in the education and monitoring, was essential to keep the community involved. The local people don’t know reading or writing, and few know how to speak Portuguese (national language). Unilúrio obviously is the one keeping records and publishing the most important information related to the LMMA.

Farmer groups develop business and advanced marketing plans to guide their continued activities and farm and business growth. When we initially select farmers, we ensure they are a part of a farmers group, which enhances their power as sellers, as they can sell in bulk and work as a group to market crops.. In Kaffrine, Senegal and Singida, Tanzania, some of our farmers grow higher-value crops like Hibiscus, Cashew, and Sunflower:We build capacity of farmers to approach buyers in regional capitals  export quality crops . In Kenya, we work with a dairy cooperative to offset their cattle feed costs, and give them the opportunity to sell extra tree fodder they product to other cooperative members. Ownership of the project is fully transferred to the farmer groups. After graduation, farmer groups continue to support each other as a team in the on-going development and management of Forest Gardens and marketing of products.  

After the 4-year project, farmers are expected to continue their Forest Gardens, given the significant successes they have seen and training they have received.  In the future, TREES is hoping to follow-up with farmers after the program, however we do not yet have the capacity to continue monitoring farmers outside of the 4-year program.

Farmers will learn to adopt advanced Forest Garden planting and care, integrated pest management, and conservation techniques that optimize and ensure the long-term health, productivity, and profitability of their land.

Farmers diversify the products they grow in their Forest Gardens. During this phase, farmers plant higher-value vegetables, fruit, nut, and timber trees. They also learn increasingly advanced skills and techniques that will help them manage their Forest Gardens more effectively and sustainably, such as fruit tree grafting, advanced composting, and marketing of crops.

This block consists of providing farmers with the skills and resources needed to protect their Forest Garden sites. Farmers achieve this by planting green walls – an enhanced version of a living fence that TREES has developed – around the perimeters of their sites. They then plant fast-growing fertilizer trees throughout their sites, often in alleys among their crops, to further stabilize their soils and enhance land fertility. We decide which species to grow based on which species adapt best to the agro-ecological zones where we work. We consult with the farmers themselves on what they want to grow, eat, and sell and our technicians advise farmers on the best way to plant and plant, iterating year-on-year changes that may enhance their garden, sales, and production. For example in drier climates like Senegal and Singida, Tanzania, we train farmers on growing various acacia species, which do not require much rain. We also promote nitrogen-fixing trees and crops, such as gliricidia species, acacia species, pigeon peas, and fruit trees that have a shorter maturing period (3-5) years. We also grow species based on what is culturally popular, nutritious, and marketable, like bananas, a staple food in Uganda.