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About Nature-based Solutions and climate adaptation

Climate change is causing a wide array of impacts around the world, such as sea-level rise, increased climate variability, and more frequent or intense droughts, floods, and wildfires. These impacts have increasingly severe social and economic consequences, with adaptation needs particularly urgent inÌýlow and lower middle-income nationsÌýandÌýSmall Island Developing States, as they are experiencing the most severe impacts of climate change and have lower adaptive capacity.

Healthy ecosystems provide importantÌýecosystem servicesÌýthat can contribute to climate change adaptation. For example, healthy mangrove ecosystems provide protection from the impacts of climate change, often for some of the world's most vulnerable people, by absorbing wave energy and storm surges, adapting to rising sea levels, and stabilizing shorelines fromÌýerosion. EbA focuses on benefits that humans derive fromÌýbiodiversity and ecosystem servicesÌýand how these benefits can be used for managing risk to climate change impacts.

EbA involves theÌýconservation,Ìýsustainable managementÌýandÌýrestoration of ecosystems, such asÌýforests,Ìýgrasslands,Ìýwetlands,ÌýmangrovesÌýorÌýcoral reefsÌýto 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 ofÌýwater reservoirsÌýor dykes), hybrid measures (such asÌýartificial reefs) and approaches thatÌýstrengthen the capacitiesÌýof individuals and institutions to addressÌýclimate risksÌý(such as the introduction ofÌýearly warning systems).

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°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼×ÊÁÏ work on EbA

Since 2009, °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼×ÊÁÏ has promoted the use of EbA as aÌýnature-based solutionÌýforÌýaddressing the impacts of climate change on people and their environment.

In its work on EbA, °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼×ÊÁÏ has achieved:

Integrated approaches to adaptation

Nature-based solutions for adaptation hold huge potential to work right now to buffer the impacts of climate hazards for frontline communities.

Stewart Maginnis, °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼×ÊÁÏ Deputy Director General, speaking at

If adaptation policies and programs are to be effective, they must integrate efforts to sustain and restore ecosystem functions and promote human rights under changing climate conditions. EbA approaches should not stand alone, but be implemented as one component of wider adaptation and development strategies.

°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼×ÊÁÏ works at this interface in collaboration with the , working on adaptation solutions that integrate both nature, technology, and infrastructure development.