1. Climate Resilience: Putting Ecosystem-Based Adaptation to Work Dr Mark Smith Head IUCN Water Programme Gland, Switzerland Water Day Barcelona November 2009

2. INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE Ecosystems provide vital services… the ‘natural infrastructure’ for adaptation What has IWRM taught us about adaptation and the role of ecosystems? –what needs to be done –how it needs to be done Where does EbA fit into climate resilience? ImpactInfrastructureServices drought flood storms melting ice sea-level rise lakes & upland soils floodplains wetlands groundwater mangroves & sediments storage supply flood control disaster protection coastal defence Water is at the centre Water, ecosystems & climate change

3. INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE Climate vulnerable basin weak hydrological buffering narrow economic & livelihood dependency infrastructure that can’t cope infrastructure that impairs hydrological buffering and livelihood diversification vulnerable people not empowered to act: centralised decision making conflict destroys coordination ossified institutions new information & knowledge not available or in use

4. INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE Climate resilient river basin buffering moderates the hydrograph diverse livelihoods and economy sustainable infrastructure portfolios: engineered & natural infrastructure management for watershed services and economic diversification vulnerable people empowered to act: governance enables self organisation adaptive institutions, set up for learning accessible information, knowledge & skills

5. INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE Resilience shift: KYB / Lake Chad drought aggravating poverty failed dam & irrigation projects siltation & weed infestation rising conflict paralysis shared information consensus management plan pilot ecosystem & livelihood restoration conflict resolution water charter: participatory governance

6. INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE Resilience shift: Tacanà, Guatemala deforested watersheds degraded farming systems social upheaval downstream disaster weak coordination local coordination of priorities landscape restoration & diversification social entrepreneurship municipal – provincial liaison disaster planning

7. INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE Resilience in practice 1. Diversity 2. Sustainable Infrastructure & Technologies 3. Self-Organisation4. Learning economy livelihoods nature & services engineering responses natural infrastructure sustainable & adaptable mgt participatory governance empowerment adaptive institutions knowledge & skills climate information new adaptive strategies Tacana Attapeu Pangani KYB / L Chad Volta Mekong Okavango BASIM

8. INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE Key messages 1.Water is the medium for climate change impacts –adaptation will be more effective where it uses and builds on lessons from WRM 2.EbA builds adaptation solutions –what: building ecosystem services and natural infrastructure –how: fostering decentralisation and empowerment 3.Climate resilience is key –people-centred, putting EbA to work –4 components, ecosystems embedded –coherent, coordinated, multi-sectoral policy and practice