Local | PANORAMA

Community implementation of adaptation measures in forests and agroforestry systems

Noé Alvarenga showing a water spring protected by reforestation actions

Plan Trifinio @ Miguel Arévalo

Farmers using organic compost on their plots

IUCN @ Paul Aragón

Construction of trench-type hillside ditches

IUCN @ Paul Aragón

The EbA measures implemented in the sub-basin focused on water and soil ecosystem services, on productive diversification and on mitigating the impacts of climate change on crops and community assets. Together with >100 producers from the upper part of the sub-basin, fruit and timber trees were introduced into agroforestry systems bordering 7 water sources, and organic agriculture was encouraged, allowing families to diversify their income and reduce the vulnerability of their crops, productive infrastructure and housing, which are affected by strong winds. This, in combination with soil and water conservation practices (hillside irrigation ditches, non-burning and crop residue incorporation), has helped to reduce soil erosion caused by extreme rainfall, as well as improved moisture retention in crops, soil fertility, and water infiltration and capture in the area. The EbA measures not only generate more resilient agro-ecosystems, but also increase the availability of water, which benefits >400 families in the sub-basin. These actions have raised awareness of the need for ecosystem and adaptive approaches to territorial management in the face of climate change.

Improving the state of soils is not only a way to ensure increased productivity, but also in the medium term, helps to reduce the tendency for migratory agriculture, as it ensures that families can work the same plots for many years. This influential factor favours the uptake of soil conservation practices by families.
Plan Trifinio began years ago a forest incentives scheme for forest owners with the aim of contributing to their protection and with that, to water capture in the basin.

The staggered planting of crops with fruit and timber trees is a very effective way to raise awareness of the benefits of associating trees with crops. It makes it possible to tangibly see how agroforestry systems can help to address the impacts of climate change and diversify family income.
The implementation of agroforestry systems and soil conservation practices should allow crop diversification and increases in income to accrue in a short period (using basic grains, avocado, etc.) and not only over the medium and long term (use of pine trees and cypress). For this to materilize requires joint planning between the producer and the technical advisor.
It is important to take into account land tenure where water sources are located. Municipalities commonly own only the water springs and not the lands that surround them. This entails working with the owners of the forests and lots that surround the water sources, to protect and/or restore those lands and allow the installation of pipes to provide communities with water.

"Action learning" and monitoring to increase capacities and knowledge

Learning about the construction of trench-type hillside ditches

Plan Trifinio @ Miguel Arévalo

Exchange of experiences between actors of the Sumpul and Goascorán river basins

IUCN @ Paul Aragón

Action learning: The benefits of terraced avocado production

Plan Trifinio @ Miguel Arévalo

Supporting producers to implement EbA measures that improve their productive practices and increase the resilience of agro-ecosystems, generates an "action learning" process that allows other actors to witness the benefits of these measures and creates conditions for their sustainability and up-scaling.

The socio-environmental vulnerability of communities and their livelihoods is examined, in a participatory way, in order to then prioritize EbA measures and their location.
Technical support is provided to producers, complemented with their traditional knowledge, to plan and implement the EbA measures (improvements to agroforestry systems).
Training and exchanges of experience are carried out on transboundary cooperation; integrated management of water resources; AbE; policy frameworks and legislation on water and climate change; and policy influencing and communication.
Monitoring of food and water security is carried out with 14 families.
The governance and management capacities of community and municipal entities linked to water resource management is strengthened.

The increase in skills and knowledge strengthens social capital and contributes to community empowerment and to valuing ecosystem services and their management for the benefit of all.

Climate change and, in particular, the availability of water, are factors that concern stakeholders in the sub-basin, which increases their willingness to take part in dialogue, constant learning, the search for solutions and joint actions.
Plan Trifinio has been implementing conservation measures in the territory for years and works closely with local producers and actors. The institution also has ample experience with participatory processes, which is another enabling factor for successful “action learning” processes.

To achieve changes at the landscape level, work must first be grassroots, at the community level. For this, strengthening the capacities of Water Committees, which are part of the Community Development Associations (ADESCOs), so that they can widen the scope of their interventions beyond sanitation requirements, has been crucial.
Exchanges of experience (e.g. with actors from the Goascorán River basin and with other ADESCOs from other parts of the basin) were an effective mechanism to reinforce collective learning and demonstrate the advantages of transboundary collaboration.

Intercambio de experiencias entre actores de las cuencas de los Ríos Goascorán …

Actores de la subcuenca binacional del río Sumpul aprenden sobre los múltiples …

Talleres de comunicación para lideresas y líderes comunitarios

Intercambio de experiencias entre ADESCOs de la subcuenca del Río Sumpul

Development of a park climate change strategy

Informed by the climate change vulnerability and land use assessment, the framing of climate change adaptation objectives and strategies was undertaken aimed at improving park resilience to climate change.

The climate change adaptation objectives and strategies were reviewed by stakeholders at a workshop held in Lusaka in October 2017. The workshop was attended by park managers from Department of National Parks and Wildlife, Nsumbu National Park and others. Inputs provided by stakeholders was used to further develop the adaptation objectives and strategies into a park climate change strategy. The strategy included a goal, scope and objectives, adaptation strategies as well as implementation and monitoring plans. key indicators and parameters for monitoring changes in vulnerability and resilience were also included.

Another workshop was held in December 2017 in Lusaka to validate the climate change strategy. The workshop was attended by Ministry of Tourism and Arts and Ministries responsible for Environment, and Natural Resources as well as key Departments and Agencies. Others were representatives from Nsumbu National Park, Nsumbu-Mweru Wantipa Management Area, Lake Tanganyika Development Project. The final park climate change strategy was to be integrated into & annexed to the GMP.

Participation of stakeholders with knowledge on climate change variability and change and biodiversity
Facilitation by a climate change and natural resource expert.
Access to updated climate (and biodiversity) information

Stakeholder participation is key to designing appropriate adaptation measures with the potential of improving resilience to climate change. Thus, stakeholders, including communities adjacent to protected areas, should be involved in the identification and validation of climate change adaptation and mitigation measures.
The identification of relevant adaptation and mitigation measures requires that the process if facilitated by a qualified climate change expert with a good understand of the regional, national and local context.
The availability of up to date baseline data, both scientific and indigenous, on climate change aspects informs the designing of relevant adaptation measures

Inception phase

Implementation

Local

Assessment of climate change vulnerability and land use

The purpose of this block is to assess biodiversity vulnerability to climatic and non-climatic stressors (e.g. land use changes). Assessment is a prerequisite for any action to measure the conservation status of biodiversity and the resilience to climate change. These evaluations also help to better guide the identification of appropriate climate change adaptation interventions.

The assessment of climate change vulnerability and land use was done by touring the Nsumbu National Park and adjacent GMA namely Tondwa and Kaputwa, key informant interviews and through desk review. While site visits aimed at obtaining crucial information through observation, desk review was conducted to augment field information. The assessment was led by experts accompanied by park managers. Leaders - men and women the adjacent villages who have a better understanding of the park and surrounding areas participated in the process.

Inventory of traditional knowledge on biodiversity and weather / climate change.
Availability and access to scientific baseline data on biodiversity and climate change.
Ability to visualize past, present and future status of biodiversity in the context of climatic and non-climatic stressors

Reviewing existing data on climate change is critical to understanding the past and future trends of climate change at the regional and national level.

Site visits in and around the park helps to provide information on the ground status of land uses and biodiversity / ecosystems. Specifically, direct observation provides information on the threats and challenges facing biodiversity and also on the visible signs of climate induced droughts, floods, etc.

Local communities, particularly villagers who have lived longer near / around the Natioanl Park have a better understanding of local changes on climate and biodiversity. As such capturing this information for validating and complementing global and regional data and developing a vision with communities is critical to designing appropriate adaptation strategies.

Implementation

Local

Capacity building on climate change resilience

The purpose of this block is to build capacity of park managers on climate change through workshops focusing on topics that are very specific to climate change issues encountered at the park level.

A series of capacity building workshops were held in Lusaka (national level) and Kasama (provincial/local level) in 2017 to raise awareness on key concepts related to climate change including impacts, vulnerability and resilience in relation to protected areas. The workshops were attended by delegates from the Department of National Parks and Widlife, Department of Natural Resources Management, Northen Provincial Administration, Nsama District Council, Mpulungu Town Council, Nsumbu National Park, NGOs (e.g. Conservation Lake Tanganyika - CLT and Frankfurt Zoological Society - FZS) and Programmes such as Lake Tanganyika Development Project (LTDP).

The workshops provided participants with key information and knowledge on climate aspects needed in the next steps of integrating climate change in the Park General Management Plan.

Availability of interested, motivated and commited stakeholders
Effective communication skills

Capacity building should not be an on-off event, rather a continous undertaking aimed at enhancing the capacity of both park managers and stakeholders including local communities living adjacent to protected areas.
The commitment and increased empowerment of communities is important for the sustainability of the solution.
Monitoring and evaluation must accompany the process to ensure that awareness and capacity is actually improved

Implementation

Local

Managing Livable Urban Environment through Public-private Collaboration

The vision and concepts of Minato Mirai 21 have been embodied through public-private collaboration in accordance with the basic agreement of 1988 among landowners and other stakeholders around the central district. Particularly, the agreement enables the landowners to take a strong initiative in formulating local rules for well-balanced development. Also, the agreement requires the obligation of all office developers to provide a certain amount of public open spaces and social activity floors in their properties. It further stipulates detailed standards and rules on building design, such as minimum site scale, height restriction, pedestrian circulations, and setbacks of exterior walls.

· Operational area management initiatives

· Urban design guidelines

Building consensus among public and private sectors during the planning stage can facilitate land owners’ strong initiative in formulating local rules for redevelopments and subsequent sustainable area management.

Implementation

Local

Achieving ecosystemic governance for adaptation

El Salvador - Honduras

IUCN

Pine plantations in water recharge areas

IUCN @ Paul Aragón

Governance for adaptation requires an ecosystemic vision, whereby actions implemented in the field for building up the resilience of natural resources focus more on protecting watershed ecosystem services (forest-water-soil) and less on responding only to problems found at the level of individual farms. For this reason, the prioritization of restoration areas is key, since it must be with a view to improving water capture and also productivity (local livelihoods). The three types of EbA measures implemented in the Goascorán River basin were: 1) restoration of water sources, 2) soil conservation, and 3) agroforestry systems. This combination recognizes the interdependence of the forest-water-soil components and allows communities to witness positive changes over intermediate periods, which in turn increases their confidence in the "natural solutions" being introduced for water and food security. Territorial management with a basin or micro-basin vision also contributes to the ecosystem approach that is required for sustainable development, that is, one that is adaptive to climate change.

Climate change, and in particular, the availability of water for human consumption and agricultural use, are factors that concern most micro-watershed stakeholders, which increases their willingness to prioritize actions that favour water recharge zones and disaster risk reduction.

Once prioritized EbA measures were implemented, improvements in the conditions of the water recharge zones and in the organizational and governance capacity of the communities became evident, also helping to consolidate the concept that forest cover is a collective "insurance” in the face of climate change.
The self-motivation of communities (around water and their livelihoods) and the leadership of key local actors are determining factors in achieving good governance for adaptation and in the successful implementation of EbA measures.

Implementation

Monitoring

Documentation and dissemination of results

Local

Subnational

Achieving flexible governance for adaptation

The review of plans and instruments is part of a flexible governance

IUCN @ Adriana Faría

Adaptation to climate change is immersed in a series of uncertainties regarding future climate impacts and development trajectories. Therefore, adaptation must proceed under a flexible “learning by doing" approach, integrating flexibility into legal and policy frameworks, and into sequential and iterative decisions that generate short-term strategies in view of the long-term uncertainties. In Goascorán, the lack of regulatory and policy frameworks for the management of shared basins limits the capacity to jointly respond to climate change - and therefore to be flexible and learn. This limitation was remedied by integrating adaptation into various management instruments at the micro-watershed, municipal and national level, and in transboundary agendas between local actors. The effectiveness of these (and other new) frameworks should be evaluated in interim periods, to allow for revisions and adjustments as knowledge about climate change increases; the same is true for EbA measures in the short term. The information that underpins these iterative processes must integrate Western science with local knowledge. In this way, it is possible to be flexible and identify new adaptation options and criteria for its evaluation.

A key aspect of governance for adaptation is the institutional and policy frameworks that back or facilitate it, and that confer it flexibility or not. In this sense, it was possible to take advantage of the window of opportunity offered by the updating of the Municipal Environmental Plans (El Salvador) and Municipal Development Plans (Honduras), the preparation of the National Adaptation Plan of Honduras, and the use of the legal figure of “Technical Tables” in El Salvador; all of which consecrate the value of governance for adaptation.

It is important to monitor and evaluate any improvements achieved through EbA, in order to use on-the-ground evidence to inform and substantiate changes to legal, policy and management frameworks, and in this way apply a flexible approach to adaptation governance.

Implementation

Monitoring

Documentation and dissemination of results

Achieving participatory governance for adaptation

Board of Directors - Lituy River Microbasin Committee (Honduras)

IUCN @ Paul Aragón

Board of Directors - Honduritas River Microbasin Committee (El Salvador)

IUCN @ Paul Aragón

The participation of all basin stakeholders has been at the core of the conformation and training of new governance structures for the Lituy (Honduras) and Honduritas (El Salvador) microbasins. The integration of grassroots (community-based) organizations, such as water boards, producer associations, women's or youth groups, Community Development Associations and educational centers, has been important. Locally, the leadership shown by teachers, women and community authorities contributed significantly to social mobilization and the adoption and scaling-up of EbA measures, making these actors an essential part of the "learning by doing" processes of communities. The result is self-motivated communities that participate and take on responsibilities. At the basin level, the Goascorán River Basin Council on the Honduran side was expanded, while in El Salvador, the most appropriate figure to accommodate the broad membership required was the Environmental Technical Table, which is why two Tables (for the northern and southern areas of La Union) were created and strengthened. Many of the members have become advocates for the work of the Tables with the aim to have these structures recognized by local authorities and legalized in the medium term.

Local actors are interested in coordinating actions and improving basin management, which contributes to making governance mechanisms and platforms effective and sustainable.
MiAmbiente (Honduras) has the legal obligation to accompany the conformation of Micro-basin Committees across the country, and this must be preceded by a socio-ecological characterization that first allows each micro-basin to be delimited.

Having previous experience in carrying out participatory processes is an enabling factor for the successful conduction and conclusion of such processes (e.g. when prioritizing certain interventions).
To have strategic alliances with different organizations is key, especially with municipality commonwealths (ASIGOLFO and ASINORLU), in order to promote spaces for dialogue and agreements regarding the waters shared between Honduras and El Salvador.
The accompaniment of MARN (El Salvador) is necessary when addressing environmental issues and the adequate management of water resources, especially in a transboundary context. Once the negotiation with local actors had begun for the conformation of the Environmental Technical Tables, the support and participation of MARN’s Eastern Regional Office was important in order for these groups to be valued and regarded as governance platforms for the Honduritas River microbasin, in the absence of a formal institution for watershed management.

Las mujeres en la gestión del agua

Mesas Técnicas Ambientales fortalecen la gestión hídrica en la cuenca del Río G…

Achieving multidimensional governance for adaptation

Board of Directors - Rio Honduritas Microbasin Committee (El Salvador)

IUCN @ Paul Aragón

Board of Directors - Lituy River Microbasin Committee (Honduras)

IUCN @ Paul Aragón

Governance instances at multiple levels

IUCN

The work in Goascorán targeted several levels of decision-making to reinforce the basin’s governance through the vertical and horizontal articulation of socio-political platforms; all of this in order to achieve a multidimensional (multilevel and multisectoral) governance model for adaptation. At the community level, EbA measures were implemented in the field to improve food and water security. With municipalities, adaptation to climate change was incorporated into Environmental and Municipal Development Plans. At the micro-basin level, two Micro-basin Committees (one on each side of the border) were created as multi-stakeholder governance platforms, receiving training, preparing internal regulations and plans, and enabling wide-ranging advocacy (e.g. civil society, municipalities and municipal commonwealths). At the basin level, in El Salvador, where several Technical Tables operate, two Environmental Technical Tables were established for the north and south of La Union in order to articulate the basin’s shared management, and linkages were sought with the Goascorán River Basin Council that operates on the Honduran side. At the national level, the recent National Adaptation Plan of Honduras comprises the EbA approach, as does the new Regulation of the Honduran Climate Change Law

Honduras has a legal framework (Water Law) that creates the entities of Basin Councils and Micro-basin Committees, unlike El Salvador. With this, the Micro-basin Committee established in El Salvador, although very functional, lacks legal backing, which prevents it from managing projects and administering funds.
Significant synergies were achieved with other projects in the Goascorán basin (e.g. BRIDGE and “Nuestra Cuenca Goascorán”), especially in coordinating actions to strengthen basin-wide governance and scaling up the EbA approach.

To strengthen governance at multiple levels, it is essential to initiate work with grassroots groups (community level) and with existing local governance platforms, such as, for example, Community Development Associations (El Salvador), to then scale-up to higher levels based on the experience acquired and the results achieved.
The project known as BRIDGE left the following lesson learnt, which is also relevant here: "Water diplomacy does not necessarily follow a straight path. Effective strategies need to incorporate multiple dimensions and a phased approach, interconnecting existing structures and those under construction in the basin."

Membrecía de las estructuras de gobernanza (Español)

Membership of governance structures (English)

Mesas Técnicas Ambientales fortalecen la gestión hídrica en la cuenca del Río G…