Ecosystem-based approach: The case of Meghalaya | India Water Portal

Published on by in Case Studies

Ecosystem-based approach: The case of Meghalaya | India Water Portal

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Communities have been adapting to climate variability for centuries, but today their coping mechanisms are being outpaced by the fast-changing climate. In response to global climate change impacts, most countries have focused on ‘hard’ or ‘grey’ infrastructure options such as embankments for flood control or new reservoirs to cope with water shortages.

These options can be costly to build and maintain, and generally do not take the benefits of Ecosystem-based Approaches (EbA) into account.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), EbA involves the conservation, sustainable management and restoration of ecosystems as cost-effective solutions that can help people adapt to the impacts of climate change. Examples of such nature-based solutions to climate change include sustainable agriculture, integrated water resource management and sustainable forest management. Harnessing the power of nature can bring in benefits to human communities and natural systems.

WHY EbA?

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