Ecosystem-Based Adaptation: an Effective Tool for Adapting to Climate Change in Urban Areas
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Ecosystem-based Adaptation: An effective tool for adapting to climate change in urban areas Points to remember In the next five to ten years, climate change impacts are expected to affect the lives [Policy in Practice] [Policy • Ecosystem services are essential to and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of Latin-American and Caribbean urban the very existence and sustainability of urban settings. Urban planners and dwellers. As local governments look for tools to reduce climate change impacts policy makers are urged to consider them when elaborating adaptation on urban settings, Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) a framework advocated strategies to address impacts of climate change. by the UNEP, has proved to be a low-cost yet effective option. EbA reduces • EbA considers the ecosystem services that city dwellers depend on and vulnerability while providing multiple benefits to society and the environment by focuses on protecting, maintaining or rehabilitating them in order to adapt to protecting, maintaining and rehabilitating ecosystems and biodiversity. This policy climate change. • EbA options have often proven to be brief aims to identify key issues and best practices that policy makers should less costly to implement and result in greater environment and social benefits. consider when implementing EbA in urban settlements. Why Ecosystem-based Adaptation? acknowledged to have several additional benefits facilitate mobilization of species, sustainable water for city dwellers. Among them: treatment systems in cities) and innovative funding, Urban areas are dependent on a multitude of as well as the development of partnerships with a resources and processes, which are provided XXNatural hazard risk reduction; wide range of stakeholders (the private sector, local inside and outside of their political boundaries (e.g. XXCarbon sequestration; neighborhoods, community-based organizations, food, water, coastal protection, fuelwood, waste XXBiodiversity protection; non-governmental organizations and academia). To decomposition and pollination). Called ecosystem XXMaintain water quality and availability; go even further in the implementation of EbA at services, they are essential to urban activities and XXEnhance food security; the municipal level, the integration of sustainability population as well as to the biodiversity of urban XXGenerate social, and cultural co-benefits into municipal plans and programs is essential. In ecosystem. through the revival and conservation of local that regard, the creation of a Municipal Adaptation The pace of urbanization and the impacts of knowledge; Plan (MAP) for climate change has proven valuable climate change have, however, been detrimental XXGenerate economic benefits (e.g. job as shown by the implementation of the Quito to ecosystem services which in turn increased opportunities, tourism); Strategy for Climate Change (QSCC). Keeping vulnerability of urban inhabitants and, forcing XXDisease regulation. in mind that essential urban ecosystem services them to adapt. Rising sea levels, increased annual depend on a wider regional area than the city precipitation, increased erosion and more How to integrate EbA in the policy process at itself, policy makers should be careful when frequent and intense storm events have and will the municipal scale? defining meaningful units of application and should continue to have important economic, social and ultimately consider working hand-in-hand with environmental costs for cities. While EbA has mainly been applied to rural regional or national institutions. With 79% of the Latin American and Caribbean settings, urban ecosystems can greatly benefit URBAN ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE OUTLOOK (ECCO) CHANGE OUTLOOK AND CLIMATE ENVIRONMENT URBAN population living in cities, the capacity of local from them. In order to do so, policy makers first Constraints governments to assess the threats of climate require access to relevant information needed to change, and to take action is crucial. Until recently, make strategic decisions. In that regard, Integrated XXDifficult and costly to evaluate actual value of many of the climate change adaptation initiatives in Environmental Assessment (IEA), a methodology ecosystem: policy makers opt for traditional cities have focused on the use of technologies and/ based on the DPSIR (Drivers, Pressures, State, adaptation strategies; or the development of infrastructure. However, Impact, Response) analysis could help cities “map XXEcosystems services often come from those efforts have proven to be costly and often out” ecosystem services and apprehend their outside the municipality itself, requiring incompatible with other sustainable development vulnerability in front of climate change related cooperation between different government initiatives. events. The integration of EbA in the policy authorities; process should also involve the identification of XXLack of adequate and specific institutions, What is Ecosystem-based Adaptation? local human and financial resources, including technologies and funding for climate change the promotion of creative practical solutions (e.g. adaptation at the municipal level. Ecosystem-based adaptation is a strategy which green corridors inside and in-between cities to focuses on the protection, maintenance or rehabilitation of ecosystem resources and services Classes of ecosystem services and benefits for cities in order to adapt to climate change. Examples Food crops, livestock production, fresh Provisioning Increase urban food security include urban reforestation to limit urban heat- water, energy crops island effects and protection and rehabilitation of Limit impacts on urban air, water and soil Coastal protection, CO sequestration, mangroves which help protect urban coasts from Regulating 2 pollution, protect coastal cities against flood attenuation, Detoxification of waste erosion and disasters and maintain the breeding climate related natural hazard habitats of fish and other marine organisms. Cultural Recreation & amenity, aesthetic Increase tourism and quality of life In addition to reducing our vulnerability to Natural habitat for species, pollination, Limit energy use in cities, support urban actual or expected climate change effects, EbA is Supporting energy capture biodiversity United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) http://www.unep.org What is being done and how effective is it? Ecosystem-based Adaptation options Issue EbA Options Additional benefits Policy Tools XCity beautification XProtect/restore local forest XEnhances recreational values X Adaptive management policy. XUrban reforestation XReduces energy use XEnhance property values Urban Reforestation Programme in Peru Since 2008, the Urban Reforestation Programme (Programa de Arborización Urbana) implemented by the Environmental Management Service of Soil erosion Trujillo (Peru) (Servicio de Gestión Ambiental de Trujillo) has captured carbon emissions and diminished heat island effects through the annual planting of 10 000 trees inside the city limits. The project has been successful at increasing native tree cover which both protects the soil and supports urban biodiversity. EbA Options Additional benefits Policy Tools XUrban agriculture (UA) XGeneration of incomes XIntegrate UA in land use planning; XRevival of traditional farming practices XFuel wood security XPromote innovative funding (e.g. Payment for XAgroforestry systems XWater regulation and air quality Ecosystem Services) XProtection of pollinators Urban agriculture in Cuba In an effort to face the impact of both economic and social crisis, the national government of Cuba created in 1994 the National Group for Urban Food security Food Agriculture (Grupo Nacional de Agricultura Urbana) inside the Ministry of Agriculture, with strong links to the local level. UA has been integrated into the legal national framework (Environmental Law 81) as well as 28 subprograms which are divided in 12 subprograms related to crops, 7 subprograms related to livestock and 9 subprograms focused on supporting urban farmers. Presently, 40% of the city of La Havana’s households are involved in UA, producing 25 000 tons of food annually. EbA Options Additional benefits Policy Tools XProtection of glaciers XIntegrate sustainability in municipal and XPreserve habitat for vulnerable species XUrban reforestation regional planning Adaptation project on impacts of accelerated Andean tropical glaciers retreat in Ecuador The Adaptation project on impacts of accelerated Andean tropical glaciers retreat (Proyecto de adaptación a los impactos del retroceso acelerado de los glaciares tropicales andinos) is a joint project established by the regional institution of the Quito Metropolitan District (Ecuador) and the GEF/World temperature Bank-MAE and focused on the small watersheds located around the Antisana volcano. This Volcano, located 45km southeast from Quito, is one of the Increase of global Increase city main water supply. The main objectives of the project are: inclusion of sectoral development projects of glacier retreat impacts, the generation of data on glacier dynamics and their impact on the availability of water resources EbA Options Additional benefits Policy Tools XIdentify and protect ecologically critical XPromote participation of all stakeholders areas XPreserve habitat for vulnerable species XPreserve ecosystem services outside city XProtection of glaciers limits Protection of watershed in Colombia 85% of Bogota’s (Colombia) population and its surroundings are dependent on