Solutions in focus – key themes for Ecosystem-based Adaptation

This publication intends to inspire policy- and decision-makers as well as practitioners by showcasing a selection of 20 solutions that have been applied in very different settings and focusing on key aspects and themes that are important for the longevity of EbA. It shows that EbA has ‘many faces’: it is being implemented successfully in a broad range of countries and ecosystems and it is driven forward by all kinds of people and organisations.

At the same time, the publication makes clear that in order for EbA to be sustainable, projects need to consider cross-cutting topics such as governance and gender; they need to ensure and come up with long-term financing mechanisms and need to aim for the mainstreaming of EbA into other fields such as agriculture and urban contexts.

EbA solutions are applied examples of successful processes or approaches to solve a specific challenge related to climate change. They address current and future climate change impacts (e.g., floods, droughts, storms, sea level rise, melting of glaciers) on human wellbeing through the sustainable management of ecosystems and the services they provide — with a proven impact.

A solution usually consists of a combination of building blocks. Building blocks (BB) are key elements of a solution, such as instruments, tools, approaches, partnerships or processes. They determine the solution’s success and can potentially be adapted and/or recombined with other building blocks to address specific challenges in different sociocultural, ecological, political or economic contexts, sectors, or geographies.