Subnational | PANORAMA

Integrating climate information into local planning

Ecological Drawing exercise - Impacts of climate change on livelihoods

GIZ

Villager presents results of ecological drawing exercise

GIZ

Seasonal (based on seasons defined by the communities according to predominant livelihood strategies with the help of an ecological calendar) and annual temperature and precipitation projections for the near future were developed for specific sites, namely Bash Kaiyndy/ Naryn District in Kyrgyzstan and two villages in the Bartang Valley of the Tajikistan Pamir region. Two time slices were developed to represent 30-year averages - 2020s (2011-2040) and 2050s (2041-2070) - and change factors were calculated relative to 1980-2005 modeled base periods. Presenting the projections as a range most accurately represents possible future climate conditions for decision-makers and planners applying a risk-based approach to climate change adaptation and resiliency. To consider inherent uncertainties in climate models, scenarios for future vulnerabilities are discussed and selected together with the community. Derived from the scenarios, climate change related threats complete the picture of the situation analysis, and future vulnerabilities can be prioritized through rating of conventional and climate change related threats.

Kyrgyz villages have weather station data to support baseline information. Future absolute values could be estimated.
Ecological calendar exercise conducted with local communities to define distribution of seasons according to predominant livelihood strategies
Strong exchange between climate scientist and local implementing partners and community
Strong facilitation skills when communicating future scenarios to the community

Building the bridge between science and local development by integrating local perception into the projection modelling and through participatory scenario planning with the community has been very successful.
When introducing the idea of climate change during workshops, there might be a danger to present climate change as the cause of all environmental problems. Careful explanation and definition of climate change is essential.
Adapting climate projections for the specific audience (e.g. government officials, local villagers) is crucial.
Pre-workshops / discussions with various informants familiar with the project area and local villagers yielded useful information and a more complete picture of the ecological and economic context of the assessment.
Workshops are generally not a productive forum for technical debates about the validity of climate projections and statistics. It is helpful to focus on communicating climate impacts and hazards, rather than technicalities.

Implementation

Monitoring

Documentation and dissemination of results

Local

Subnational

National

North and Central Asia

The Conservation Standards-based method for planning and implementing Ecosystem-based Adaptation strategies

Paul

Schumacher

Participatory Vulnerability Assessments as a basis for EbA planning

Integrating climate information into local planning

North and Central Asia

The Conservation Standards-based method for planning and implementing Ecosystem-based Adaptation strategies

Paul

Schumacher

Participatory Vulnerability Assessments as a basis for EbA planning

Integrating climate information into local planning

North Europe

Medmerry Managed Coastal Realignment

Nick

Gray

Effectively addressing societal challenges

Participatory and collaborative approaches

Enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem integrity

An economically viable Nature-based Solution

Robust monitoring framework

South America

Conservation and sustainable use of páramo ecosystems as a response to climate change in Tungurahua, Ecuador

Nadia

Manasfi

Integration of climate change into development planning

Institutional agreements and participatory decision-making based on MARISCO method

Integration of climate change into development planning

Planning for the future

Nadia Manasfi

The institutional integration of climate change related risks and opportunities is a significant step in order to strengthen the legitimacy of any action and allows economic and human resources to be allocated to the subject and related activities. Water availability was addressed as a current (political) issue and connecting element, establishing links to other topics such as agriculture, health, biodiversity and stakeholders engagement. Climate change was introduced in development planning as a cross-cutting issue, rather than a separate topic. A systematic approach for integrating climate change risks and opportunities in combination with capacity development measures helped to minimise the additional challenge for development planners at the practical level.

*Well-developed legal and institutional framework for climate change at the national level. *Established development planning processes at the sub-national level *Long-term partnerships with key stakeholders. *Multi-level approach (linking local, sub-national and national level).

*Addressing initially current and tangible problems - such as water provision - helps to introduce the rather abstract topic of climate change into political decision-making. *The intensive support of the process of integrating climate change into the development plan of one local entity pays off as it serves as an example for others to follow.

Planning phase

Local

Subnational

Institutional agreements and participatory decision-making based on MARISCO method

MARISCO workshop

Nadia Manasfi

Planning and implementing EbA requires a holistic approach and strong inter-institutional coordination and cooperation. The multi-pronged approach adopted in Tungurahua encourages the participation of policy-makers, the private sector, farmers, civil society and universities, among others. The establishment of a cross-institutional platform enables frequent meetings for exchange and follow-up, while addressing concerns of all stakeholders. Tailor-made capacity development contributes to a shared understanding of the main problems and options for action. Participatory assessments (such as the MARISCO methodology) have allowed stakeholders to better understand how climate and non-climate risks can reinforce each other and how to deal with the resulting complexity. Complementary to the participatory assessments, technical assessments, hydrological models and a hydro-meteorological monitoring system provide decision-makers with hard facts on which to base policy. The results are clear and holistic strategies, theories of change and a monitoring system accepted by the majority.

*Political willingness to enable cross-institutional cooperation. *Willingness of key stakeholders to cooperate. *A shared understanding of the problem and its underlying causes. *Reliable empirical database to underpin participatory decision-making.

*Potential resistance to climate change actions can be reduced by inviting different stakeholders to participate in capacity development measures. *Building ownership and empowering communities by involving them in every step of the process (from identifying the problem to proposing solutions and implementing them) is an important success factor for the process.

Provincial Government of Tungurahua

Integrating ecosystem services into development planning

Link between ecosystem services and development sectors

GIZ Yasmina Adebi

Despite the strong dependence of the local and national economy on natural resources, the concept of ecosystem services is new for most decision-makers in Benin and Togo. Furthermore, due to a lack of knowledge about natural processes, the degradation and loss of natural resources was acknowledged, but their decline was often not attributed to current practices. Existing communal development plans focus on sectors such as water, agriculture and infrastructure, while not taking into account the importance of ecosystem services for these sectors. Training sessions on "Integration of ecosystem services into development planning" enabled stakeholder groups from different sectors to discuss issues of conservation of ecosystem services in the Mono Delta and to understand the link between conservation of these services and the sustainable development of the region. In order to improve the process of drafting development plans and strengthen the capacity of decision-makers at the local and regional levels, several workshops were organized to familiarize stakeholders with the ecosystem services approach and its application to the planning process.

• Participatory approach involving stakeholders and decision-makers from multiple levels and sectors. • Focus on the utility of ecosystem services for the economic development of the region. • Existence / creation of a good knowledge of natural processes in the region (water cycle, soil fertility, pollination, etc.) • Existence of training materials on the approach of integration of ecosystem services into development planning in the national language.

A major challenge in raising awareness among and training of stakeholders / decision-makers is the fact that there are large gaps in basic knowledge about natural processes (e.g., water cycle, improvement of soil fertility, pollination) and climate projections. It was therefore necessary to train decision-makers not only on the steps of integration of ecosystem services into the planning documents, but also on the links between these services and the sectors of interest as well as concrete measures to ensure the availability of ecosystem services in the long term in an uncertain climate scenario corridor. As a result, the technical assistance process takes a long time. In addition, little educational material (textbooks, films, etc.) on ecosystem services is available in French, and the didactic materials in English are not easily understood by many Beninese and Togolese decision-makers. It is therefore crucial to translate and/or develop adequate material.