Theme 2 Setting Priorities and Making Informed Decisions

Theme 2 Setting Priorities and Making Informed Decisions

Module 10 A Toolbox for Adaptation

Learning objectives 1. Describe and distinguish among the wide range of available tools for adaptive management in the watershed. 2. Evaluate and select the most appropriate tools, taking into account the ecosystem services we decide to sustain and the community conditions (i.e., societal willingness to invest).

Key questions How does a watershed manager come to develop a meaningful understanding of the range of tools available for adaptation? What is the process one should, or might, employ in selecting and deploying tools? How does one evaluate the suite of tools selected for an application?

Framing adaptation Continuing with the local watershed Our options can be framed as*: Hard Soft On-site Off-site On-site actions are within the watershed, such as land use changes or educational programs Off-site actions take place outside but affect the watershed, such as national policies Hard actions are physical changes like bridges or riparian buffers Soft changes are policies, taxes, behaviour changes * Fully described in Perry and Falzon, 2014 Climate Change Adaptation for Natural World Heritage Sites: A Practical Guide World Heritage Papers 37. Free from UNESCO

Must be locally adapted Every catchment needs a tailored suite of tools We select appropriate tools to address local community challenges View the catchment, landscape and community as a system Use context to select and adapt tools Recognize that practices are culturally and ecologically contextual

Local context Livelihood challenges often are caused by insufficient access to water, land or resources Livelihoods are influenced by local politics, social setting, health needs and financial resources Use a variety of social instruments including: Policies, laws, traditions, customs Local, regional, national governance Commercial interests NGOs Incorporate natural system function (e.g., floods and fires are critical, positive parts of ecosystems)

Building the toolbox Government plays an important role in management; some tools cannot readily be selected by a catchment manager Tools to consider: Community-based natural resource management Markets for ecosystem services (e.g., rewards PWS, PES) Economic development incentives Labelling, marketing & targeting Natural resource accounting Advocacy & extension Legislation & regulation Stewardship Micro-credit schemes

Advocacy & extension Appropriate for rural and urban communities Renewable energy, water conservation, and demandmanagement interventions contribute to sustainable resource management Examples of sustainable practices: Water-wise food production Rain water harvesting Selection of appropriate crops Sustainable consumption of resources Many goals can be achieved by empowering stakeholders through good communication

Government purchase of services Managers have access to more than advocacy and extension to promote adaptive ecosystem management Ecosystem management can be mainstreamed through resource incentives, offered by national, regional or local governments to achieve economic and social goals Especially in strong economies, tax incentives may improve land management

Legislation and regulation Natural resources are regulated through legislation That applies to water, land, biodiversity (i.e., all of the environment) Some countries lack strong legislation Others have legislation in place but it is fragmented or not implemented Some countries have progressive legislation, but lack capacity or will for implementation Managers have the opportunity to understand available legislation and use it to accomplish tasks required for the catchment

Markets for ecosystem services This innovative tool includes: Rewards (payments) for watershed services Carbon sequestration and offsets Markets for biodiversity Corporate social investment markets Upstream downstream linkages Use of social media & social marketing A watershed community with skill and resources should consider InVEST, a free natural capital project that guides implementation in PES http://www.naturalcapitalproject.org/invest/

Stewardship This approach to resource management is sensitive to a range of uses with a goal of long-term sustainability Integrated stewardship of forest, water and biodiversity is a relatively new approach becoming more widely available More applicable in developed than developing economies; partners well with incentives for economic development, legislation and regulation, markets for ecosystem services

CBNRM Community-based natural resource management Multifaceted approach to natural resource management Combines economic, political & institutional goals Aimed at guiding collective decision making to enhance productivity of non-agricultural systems Often structured around wildlife and nature-based tourism

Labelling, marketing & targeting Best where the economy is strong and household incomes are high Potential strategies include: Identification of flagship species Establishing an enabling environment Integration of biodiversity guidelines into production systems Identification of biodiversity champions among land managers/producers Integrating biodiversity in product branding Showcasing successes

Micro-credit schemes Can lead to a reduction in demand for natural resources in poor communities Most applicable at a fine spatial scale Can be a powerful resource for assisting a subset of the catchment population

Natural resource accounting If we are to implement any tool in the toolkit, we must practice explicit resource accounting Especially important where only advocacy and extension resources are available

Activity: incentives and tools (30 min) Consider your local watershed: build a list of incentives and tools that you feel would be appropriate to apply as part of an adaptive toolbox here 1. Describe tools you feel would be appropriate and why 2. What organizational partners would you approach for support? 3. Are initiatives already in place that you can work to expand? 4. Who are key stakeholders you may want to involve in this process? Elect a spokesperson to present in plenary Next slide reminds you of the tools

In your toolbox Tools to consider: Markets for ecosystem services (including rewards, PWS, PES) Community-based natural resource management Economic development incentives Labelling, marketing & targeting Natural resource accounting Advocacy & extension Legislation & regulation Micro-credit schemes Stewardship

Plenary (20 min) Each group summarize the tools chosen, and the stakeholder interests that would be served by those tools In your discussion, be explicit about ways you have considered the needs for gender equity, and the needs of vulnerable groups Each group will have (and serve as) a peer review team asking how those tools have been selected, or might serve a particular audience

Plenary (5 min) Synthesis What have we learned to date and what questions remain?