Objectives and Scope
This report explores the technical feasibility of EbA in adaptation planning in Pacific Island Countries and Territories.
EbA is defined as the integration of biodiversity and ecosystem services into strategies that help people adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change. The target audience is technical staff in planning, agriculture, environment, fisheries, and disaster management agencies.
Approaches
The implementation of EbA requires effective decision frameworks, including:
Economic approach: Cost-benefit analysis and pricing of ecosystem services to compare EbA with "hard" infrastructure options.
Resilience-based approach: Focusing on establishing sustainable system configurations capable of maintaining functionality in diverse climate futures.
Key EbA Relationships
The report identified and analyzed six potential EbA relationships:
- Coastal vegetation helps protect against storm surges.
- Floodwater/riverside vegetation helps reduce flood damage.
- Mangrove forests help adapt to sea level rise.
- Seagrasses help reduce sedimentation from floods.
- Slope vegetation helps reduce the risk of landslides.
- Agroforestry helps stabilize agricultural productivity.
Conclusion and Recommendations
EbA has significant potential but is not fully utilized in adaptation plans in the Pacific. The report recommends:
- Developing a "Climate Change, Ecosystems and Biodiversity Toolkit" to guide decision-makers.
- Focusing on local specificities (location, species, hydrological conditions) when designing projects.
- Integrate EbA into a broader disaster risk reduction strategy, rather than considering it as a standalone solution.
