Ecosystem-based adaptation

Ecosystem-based adaptation (EBA or EbA) encompasses a broad set of approaches to <a href="/facts/Climate_change_adaptation/RoUgv5FF">adapt to climate change</a>. They all involve the <a href="/facts/Ecosystem_management/JXHEcNDP">management of ecosystems</a> and their services to reduce the vulnerability of human communities to the <a href="/facts/Effects_of_global_warming/M5EvHf14">impacts of climate change</a>. The <a href="/facts/Convention_on_Biological_Diversity/lQVGd4Dt">Convention on Biological Diversity</a> (CBD) defines EBA as "the use of <a href="/facts/Biodiversity/GruakEzs">biodiversity</a> and <a href="/facts/Ecosystem_services/Fm4owYGV">ecosystem services</a> as part of an overall adaptation strategy to help people to adapt to the adverse <a href="/facts/Effects_of_climate_change_on_humans/4QYsgLYK">effects of climate change</a>".
EbA involves the <a href="/facts/Habitat_conservation/gNI7Yf2W">conservation</a>, <a href="/facts/Ecosystem_management/JXHEcNDP">sustainable management</a> and <a href="/facts/Restoration_ecology/gJ6wT9Gg">restoration of ecosystems</a>, such as <a href="/facts/Forest/RnMtb31v">forests</a>, <a href="/facts/Grassland/T4P1kqT0">grasslands</a>, <a href="/facts/Wetland/9abbP7CR">wetlands</a>, <a href="/facts/Mangrove/JreUUsuG">mangroves</a> or <a href="/facts/Coral_reef/xzeK6yAp">coral reefs</a> to reduce the harmful impacts of climate hazards including shifting patterns or levels of rainfall, changes in maximum and minimum temperatures, stronger storms, and increasingly variable climatic conditions. EbA measures can be implemented on their own or in combination with engineered approaches (such as the construction of <a href="/facts/Reservoir/2FewszmR">water reservoirs</a> or dykes), hybrid measures (such as <a href="/facts/Artificial_reef/mfGpU65M">artificial reefs</a>) and approaches that <a href="/facts/Adaptive_capacity/dmuDMCb4">strengthen the capacities</a> of individuals and institutions to address <a href="/facts/Climate_risk/vJdUJpwI">climate risks</a> (such as the introduction of <a href="/facts/Early_warning_system/b62EdQLk">early warning systems</a>).
Collaborative planning between scientists, policy makers, and community members is an essential element of Ecosystem-Based Adaptation. By drawing on the expertise of outside experts and local residents alike, EbA seeks to develop unique solutions to unique problems, rather than simply replicating past projects.
EbA is nested within the broader concept of <a href="/facts/Nature-based_solutions/T2fc95Sq">nature-based solutions</a> and complements and shares common elements with a wide variety of other approaches to building the resilience of <a href="/facts/Socio-ecological_system/PeB5tsmg">social-ecological systems</a>. These approaches include community-based adaptation, <a href="/facts/Ecosystem-based_disaster_risk_reduction/Gft4E7y4">ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction</a>, <a href="/facts/Climate-smart_agriculture/M8VuMIIE">climate-smart agriculture</a>, and <a href="/facts/Green_infrastructure/svo8dQHR">green infrastructure</a>, and often place emphasis on using participatory and inclusive processes and <a href="/facts/Stakeholder_engagement/2DlJN2Bl">community/stakeholder engagement</a>. The concept of EbA has been promoted through international fora, including the processes of the <a href="/facts/United_Nations_Framework_Convention_on_Climate_Change/Tg7f18g3">United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)</a> and the CBD. A number of countries make explicit references to EbA in their strategies for adaptation to climate change and their <a href="/facts/Intended_nationally_determined_contributions/p3FWRzHK">Nationally Determined Contributions</a> (NDCs) under the <a href="/facts/Paris_Agreement/hfIXBN1W">Paris Agreement</a>.
While the barriers to widespread uptake of EbA by public and private sector stakeholders and decision makers are substantial, cooperation toward generating a greater understanding of the potential of EbA is well established among researchers, advocates, and practitioners from nature conservation and sustainable development groups. EbA is increasingly viewed as an effective means of addressing the linked challenges of climate change and poverty in developing countries, where many people are dependent on natural resources for their lives and livelihoods.

Ecosystem-based adaptation open-in-new

Ecosystem-based adaptation