PROJECT TITLE: BUILDING CLIMATE RESILIENCE THROUGH COMOROS SUSTAINABLE REHABILITATED WATERSHEDS, FORESTS DEVELOPMENT GOALS Ecosystem-based Adaptation AND ADAPTIVE LIVELIHOODS 2017-2021 EXECUTING ENTITY:

Supported by the Increasing the average annual Ministry of Energy, Agriculture, Least Developed Countries income of households in the Fisheries and the Environment, Fund project sites by 20%. At least Union of the Comoros 1,000 people will benefit from alternative and sustainable livelihoods. KEY TARGETS: 38,000+ People benefitting from watershed Installing rainwater harvesting devices in 15 villages, restoration and reforestation. benefitting a total of 38,300 people in a country where 1.4 million less than 13% of people Trees planted over the course of have access to quality water four years across all three islands. supplies. 7,500 Hectares of watersheds restored Sustainably managing 4,000 and sustainably managed. hectares of watersheds and restoring a further 3,500 hectares with defined FUNDING: no-take zones. 15 villages, containing a total of 38,300 people, are now carrying out a collaborative watershed management plan.

PROJECT PARTNERS:

National Directorate of Energy and Water Resources (DGEME); National Strategic Directorate of Agriculture and Livestock (DNSAE); National Research Institute on Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment (INRAPE); Village Development Associations; Mouvement de la jeunesse consciente des Comores; Association for Intervention for Development and the Environment; Action for Sustainable Development Environment (ADDE); University of the Comoros; Association Comoflora. INTRODUCTION CLIMATE IMPACTS PROJECT LOCATION

• The Comoros archipelago is composed of • The Comoros will be deeply affected by climate four islands off the coast of east Africa, with a change, and rainfall patterns are predicted to total population of around 800,000. Although become highly unpredictable. Sea-levels will a vital hotspot for biodiversity, it is one of the rise along with the temperatures, threatening poorest countries in the world. Between 70- coastal aquifers with saltwater intrusion. 80% of Comorians are small-scale farmers dependent on rain-fed crops for subsistence. • Currently, less than 13% of the population have access to good quality water supplies, Comoros • This project is helping the government to build and water consumption per capita is only 35 climate resilience in 15 locations across three litres per day (WHO’s minimum requirement Comorian islands (5 in each). Families in these is 50 litres). areas are facing severe water shortages due to increasingly erratic and reduced rainfall. • By 2090, the dry season could experience 47% less rainfall than today. Extreme weather • The main approaches of the project are to events are expected to be more frequent and restore and sustainably manage 7,500 ha intense, including tropical cyclones, droughts of watersheds; build rainwater harvesting and flooding. devices; construct anti-erosion structures on The project interventions are taking place in 15 sites across three Comorian islands. farmland; and develop sustainable livelihoods • The danger is compounded by poverty and The regions involved are: Bambao, Hambou, and Itsandra Regions in Grande Comore to diversify food and income sources. unsustainable extraction in the forests, which Island; Mremani Region in Anjouan Island; and Diando Region in Moheli Island. depletes the soil’s ability to retain water. • The project is addressing the adaptation Between 1990 and 2000, forest cover shrunk priorities identified in the NAPA, such as 3% per year. promoting drought-resilient crops and VIDEOS & STORIES CONTACTS increasing water supplies. Video: UN Environment Task Manager https://youtu.be/sK5VfDEWEew Alex Forbes TECHNOLOGIES & METHODS [email protected] Human impact stories: Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) is zones. These efforts are protecting vital Country Team Contact • English: central to the project’s activities. EbA is the ecosystem services, be it firewood or flood https://www.unenvironment.org/news- Ali Ahmed Gamao tactic of using nature and healthy ecosytems protection. and-stories/story/where-there-used- [email protected] to reduce the impacts of climate change. be-so-much-there-so-little-challenge- • Five villages on each of the three islands are climate-change-comoros now carrying out a collaborative watershed • The reforestation activities are using species https://www.unenvironment.org/news- based on their resilience and multi-purpose rehabilitation plan. 150 people in total are and-stories/story/when-rain-comes- properties, like woodfuel production, fruit, and receiving training in integrated watershed fighting-climate-change-forecasting- soil-health restoration. Over 1.4 million trees management (IWM). comoros will be planted by the end of the project. French: • Anti-erosive and anti-flooding structures https://www.unenvironment.org/fr/ • The ecological restoration is increasing water are being built, including stone dykes, small news-and-stories/recit/la-ou-les- supplies for local communities and reducing retaining walls, and anti-fire corridors. pluies-etaient-si-abondantes-elles-sont- desormais-si-faibles-le their vulnerability to extreme weather events. • To improve water availability, 15 rainwater https://www.unenvironment.org/fr/ • Climate-resilient and alternative livelihoods harvesting structures are currently under news-and-stories/recit/les-pluies- are being adopted across the three Comorian construction, one in each project site. arrivent-lutter-contre-les-changements- climatiques-grace-aux islands, such as agroforestry and the sale of sustainable pharmaco-cosmetic products. “I learned that we really didn’t know how to protect our land – we were killing it. Now we know we can • A key objective is to establish community- plant things to stop erosion and we can tell others conservation areas with defined no-take about how trees protect the soil.” - Faharddine Soumaila, 33, a farmer at the project site.