Helping Mountain Communities Adapt to Climate Change
Efforts to manage, conserve or restore natural environments can help people adapt to climate changeby taking advantage of a healthy ecosystem's natural resilience.
Our Mountain Ecosystem-based Adaptation Program (Mountain EbA) aims to increase the use of nature-based solutions in key mountain areas of Nepal, Peru and Uganda. Field work is already underway in each of these countries. In April of this year, our team will begin incorporating EbA approaches in neighboring Bhutan, Colombia and Kenya. This 3-year program, supported by the International Climate Initiative (IKI), is being implemented jointly by our Institute and theInternational Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) plus in-country partners.
Mountain EbA is key to an overall strategy to help mountain people adapt to the risks of climate change. It links traditional approaches to conserving ecosystems and protecting wildlife with improving options for sustainable ways of making a living.
Mountain communities rely on their surrounding environment for water, food, pasture and the raw materials for their livelihoods. EbA measures in mountains can offer natural solutions for improving water quality and availability while also reducing erosion and the risk of landslides. This benefits people and wildlife, both in mountains and further downstream.
Global Mountain EbA Team to Meet in Peru
We are coordinating with all country teams involved in the Mountain EbA Program--
Nepal, Bhutan, Uganda, Kenya, Peru and Colombia--to organize our first global meeting to be held in late April in Lima, Peru.
This global exchange of knowledge, expertise, perspectives and practical solutions is key to implementing the Mountain EbA Program in 6 countries, both on-the-ground and at the policy level.
After 3 days of workshops, we'll travel from the Pacific coast up to the mountain district of Miraflores, stopping along the way to see first hand how the quality and quantity of mountain water affects environments and livelihoods downstream. Once in Miraflores, our team will visit our EbA field site and meet with community members.
Our Mountain EbA project sites in Peru are in Canchayllo and Miraflores, located in the Nor Yauyos Cochas Landscape Reserve.
