Community Resilience through Integrated Landscape Management

The goal of this Signature Programme, Community Resilience through Integrated Landscape Management, and that of the UNDP-GEF Community Resilience and Sustainability (CRS) team, is to empower community organizations and networks to achieve inclusive, resilient and sustainable development and develop local solutions for global environment management.

UNDP-GEF's capacity in Community Resilience and Sustainability is centered on its work with community-based organizations and local NGOs to address the barriers (capacity, technical, governance, and legal, political, financial) to achieving resilient communities and landscapes. This work is designed to maximize opportunities for the poorest and socially excluded to gain voice and influence in governance processes. The CRS Team works in over 125 countries to support community-based organizations in the implementation of 4000 projects representing an investment of over USD 400 million. A small team of highly skilled HQ staff and over 200 locally based project staff, including National Coordinators for each country, works with UNDP Country Office colleagues around the world, supporting community-based approaches to building landscape resilience and its attendant global environmental benefits.

More information on relevant UNDP supported programmes can be obtained through the following links:

·           Community Resilience

·          UNDP Sustainable Land Management page

Projects

Addressing Climate Change Risks on Water Resources and Food Security in the Dry Zone of Myanmar

This project seeks to reduce the vulnerability of farmers in Myanmar’s Dry Zone to increasing drought and rainfall variability, as well as enhance their capacity to plan for and respond to future climate change impacts on food security.

Focused on five of the most vulnerable townships of Myanmar’s Dry Zone, the four-year project (2015-2019) will reduce the risks and effects from recurring droughts, floods and erosion through an integrated water management, crop and livestock adaptation programme.

Enhancing Climate Resilience of India’s Coastal Communities

Implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India with support UNDP, the 6-year project ‘Enhancing Climate Resilience of India’s Coastal Communities’ (2019-2024) will enhance the climate resilience of the most vulnerable populations, particularly women, in the coastal areas of India. The project will shift the paradigm towards a new approach integrating ecosystem-centred and community-based approaches to adaptation into coastal management and planning by the public sector, the private sector and civil society.
 

Enhancing Resilience Of Liberia Montserrado County Vulnerable Coastal Areas To Climate Change Risks II

The United Nations Development Programme is working with the Government of Liberia to ensure investment of a new tranche of US$4 million from the Least Developed Countries Fund is used to reduce the vulnerability of physical assets and natural systems, protect coastal areas, and mitigate carbon dioxide emissions. The "Enhancing Resilience Of Liberia Montserrado County Vulnerable Coastal Areas To Climate Change Risks II" project will work to build national capacity and drive policy coordination in the coastal county of Montserrado to plan and respond to climate change.

Upscaling Community-Based Adaptation in Ethiopia

The "Upscaling Community-Based Adaptation in Ethiopia" project will work to empower communities to plan and implement adaptation interventions in a deliberate and proactive manner, reducing reliance on the Government of Ethiopia to provide already scarce resources for climate change adaptation. The five-year project will benefit from a US$8.8 million grant from the Global Environment Facility Least Developed Country Fund.

Programme Support for Climate Change Adaptation in the Vulnerable Regions of Mopti and Timbuktu

The "Programme Support for Climate Change Adaptation in the Vulnerable Regions of Mopti and Timbuktu" project in Mali will work to increase the resilience of vulnerable communities and their adaptive capacity to climate change in the regions of Mopti and Timbuktu, including the Faguibine system zone.

Enhancing Adaptive Capacity and Resilience to Climate Change in the Agriculture Sector in Comoros

Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, contributing over 90% towards Comoros’s exports earnings. Despite the crucial role of agriculture in the economy and for employment, the domestic agricultural sector is struggling to provide the food needs of the population. The project's objective therefore, is to strengthen the capacities of vulnerable communities to cope with the additional risks posed by climate change as well as the variability on agro-sylvo-pastoral systems through training and dissemination of information.

Building Climate Resilient Rural Communities in Zimbabwe

Climate change is projected to have profound impacts on Zimbabwe, including heightened water stress, increased incidence of drought, declines in crop and livestock productivity, change in wildlife ranges, an increase in wildfire incidents and the possible expansion of malaria zones. 

Implementation of Climate Change Adaptation measures in Coastal Areas of Uruguay

The project aims to put in place adaptive land planning and coastal management policies and practices to enhance the resilience of Uruguay’s coastal ecosystem to climate change, removing obstacles for adaptation in the process.

Adaptation to Climate Change through Integrated Water Harvesting Technologies in Yemen

As a Least Developed Country (LDC), Yemen is highly vulnerable to climate change-related impacts such as drought, extreme flooding, and sea level rise. These are serious concerns as Yemen's economy largely depends on its natural resources. In addition to having a predominantly semi-arid to arid climate, more than half the agriculture is rain-fed. Coupled with a rise in both droughts and floods, the Yemenis face an acute challenge in adapting to climate change induced stress on water resources.

Biodiversity Conservation and Watershed Management in Haiti

The project titled “Increasing the Resilience of Ecosystems and Vulnerable Communities through Biodiversity Conservation and Watershed Management in Haiti” has the twin objectives of reducing vulnerability of poor people to the effects of climate change, and conserving threatened coastal and marine biodiversity.

The project will look at spatially configuring watersheds and coastal areas in order to increase the resilience of ecosystems and vulnerable communities to climate change and anthropic threats.

Adapting Water Resource Management In Swaziland To Manage Expected Climate Change

Climate change in Swaziland is expected to lead to overall warming and drying, with a greater frequency and intensity of droughts as well as floods. The negative impacts on the agricultural and water sector are likely to be considerable. Firstly, yields of staple food crops such as maize, sorghum and beans are likely to decrease, thereby threatening national food security. Secondly, surface flows in rivers and streams are likely to have greater variation, with lower base-flows in the dry season, potentially resulting in water shortages for domestic, industrial and agricultural use.

Reducing vulnerability to coastal flooding through ecosystem-based adaptation in Cuba

Mangroves cover more than 5% of the total area of Cuba and play a vital protective role against effects of storm surges and sea level rise. This UNDP-supported project, "Reduction of vulnerability to coastal flooding through ecosystem-based adaptation in the south of Artemisa and Mayabeque provinces," seeks to reduce the vulnerability of communities in coastal areas of Artemisa and Mayabeque provinces from climate change related coastal erosion, flooding and saltwater intrusion.

Integrated Land Use Management to Combat Land Degradation and Deforestation in Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh encompasses a major part of the highlands of Central India and constitutes parts of the upper catchments of five principal river systems – the Yamuna, Ganga, Mahanadi, Godavari and Narmada. It is endowed with rich and diverse forest resources with forest types ranging from dry thorn, dry and moist deciduous to sub-tropical semi-evergreen and tropical moist evergreen forests.

Adapting to Climate Change through the Improvement of Traditional Crops and Livestock Farming Systems in Namibia

Namibia is one of the most arid countries south of the Sahara, characterized by high climatic variability in the form of persistent droughts, unpredictable and variable rainfall patterns, variability in temperatures and scarcity of water. As part of the Country Pilot Partnership for Integrated Sustainable Land Management (CPP), this project is piloting a host of interventions to address the underlying causes of land degradation in Namibia.

Africa Adaptation Programme

The Africa Adaptation Programme was launched in 2008 by the United Nations Development Programme in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) and with US$92.1 million support from the Government of Japan. The AAP was established under the Japan-UNDP Joint Framework for Building Partnership to Address Climate Change in Africa, which was founded at the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in May 2008.

Water and Agriculture Adaptation in Anseba Region, Eritrea

Eritrea currently suffers from Africa’s highest level of food insecurity (and attendant high levels of malnutrition), a situation expected to be exacerbated by climate change via increasing temperature, drought, weather variability, and a decrease in water stores.

Developing Agro-Pastoral Shade Gardens in Djibouti

Djibouti faces multiple adverse effects due to climate change, which threaten large biophysical and socio-economic impacts. A priority area of concern is that of water availability, which is the main limiting factor of agricultural productivity and livelihood security.

Building resilience of Muanda’s communities from coastal erosion in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s coastal zone stretches 40 km and comprises of the towns of Muanda, Banana and Nsiamfumu. The problem of coastal erosion has intensified since 1980 with significant retreat of the coast in the Banana-Muanda segment, this retreat has been estimated as much as 2,300 meters. In the future, the DRC can expect to see its territory reduced from 50-100 m on its coastal area.

Combating Adverse Effects of Climate Change on Agricultural Production and Food Security in Benin

For a long time, farming communities in Benin have had to develop weather and climate hazards mitigation techniques or practices so-called "endogenous" including crop diversification, irrigation, risk management disaster, etc. However, human induced climate change that has become a reality (IPCC, 2007), is posing new risks for these communities. Agricultural modernization that does not destroy the social and ecological balances yet ensures food security for the peasant mass has remained the biggest problem in Africa since the 60s.

Strongem Waka lo Community fo Kaikai (SWoCK): Resilience in Agriculture and Food Security in the Solomon Islands

This project supports Solomon Islands, a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), to better adapt to climate change by increasing food security with community based pilot projects on food production and management. It also takes actions to strengthen institution and adjust policies to govern agriculture in the context of climate change futures.

Enhancing “whole of islands” Approach to Strengthen Community Resilience to Climate and Disaster risks in Kiribati

The United Nations Development Programme is working with the Government of Kiribati to develop a project proposal for a new US$9 million grant proposal for the Global Environment Facility Least Developed Countries Fund. The proposed "Enhancing 'whole of islands' Approach to Strengthen Community Resilience to Climate and Disaster Risks in Kiribati" project will include US$45 million in co-financing.

Coping with Drought and Climate change (CwDCC) in Zimbabwe

The project, Coping with Drought and Climate Change in Zimbabwe, worked to enhance the capacity of agricultural and pastoral communities in Zimbabwe to adapt to climate variability and change. The primary project objective was to demonstrate and promote adoption of a range of gender-sensitive approaches for adaptation to climate change among rural communities currently engaged in agriculture in vulnerable areas of the Chiredzi.

Strengthening Adaptative Capacity and Reducing Vulnerability to Climate Change in Burkina Faso

Due to its socio-economic, climatic and geographical reasons, Burkina Faso is particularly vulnerable to climate change.

Scaling up Community-Based Adaptation (CBA) in Niger

The "Scaling up Community-Based Adaptation (CBA) in Niger" project aims to strengthen the responsiveness and adaptive capacity of administrative and technical support services at the commune-level to enable generation of a critical mass of climate resilient communities and achieve more climate resilient economies in the Maradi Region of Niger. In terms of socio-economic benefits, the project, through the climate-resilient activities implemented, will build up financial, natural, physical and social capital of the selected communities.

Increasing Resilience of Coastal Areas and Community Settlements to Climate Change in Tuvalu

Tuvalu is facing adverse effects of sea level rise and frequent tropical cyclones, already evidenced in low-lying atoll islands. With this project, UNDP supported this Small Island Developing State with addressing systematic climate risks, increasing institutional capacity to adapt to cliamte change related damage and disseminating relevant knowledge.

Promoting Climate-Resilient Water Management and Agricultural Practices in Rural Cambodia

Strengthening Adaptive Capacity & Resilience to Climate Change in the Agrarian & Water Sectors in Guinea-Bissau

As a Small Island Developing State, climate change presents Guinea-Bissau with developmental challenges. This project is designed to assist Guinea-Bissau in achieving higher systematic efficiency for its policy responses. Interventions will focus particularly on the management of increased climatic vulnerability and risks in the agrarian and water sectors.

Supporting Climate Resilient Livelihoods in Agricultural Communities in Drought-Prone Areas of Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan is a water stressed country with one of the harshest climates in the Central Asian region. Climate change modeling indicates significant increases in temperature and reduction in rainfall. This will lead to a decrease in total volume of water availability that is likely to have a profound impact on agricultural production systems and local farmers. The long-term solution envisaged by the Government of Turkmenistan is to mainstream climate change adaptation in order to secure climate resilient livelihoods in agricultural communities.

Integrating Community-Based Adaptation into Afforestation and Reforestation Programs in Bangladesh

The project is working to transform the way greenbelt afforestation and reforestation programs in Bangladesh are designed and developed.

Enhancing Resilience to Climate Change in Vulnerable Coastal Communities in Gambia

The project, 'Enhancing Resilience of Vulnerable Coastal Areas and Communities to Climate Change in the Republic of Gambia',  will restore and maintain 2,500 ha of the mangroves forests of Tanbi Wetlands (of which 177,285 Gambian depends directly or indirectly on their economic activities, its buffer zones, sewage sinks and coastal stabilization roles), the North Bank, Western and lower river regions through a co-management approach to act as an additional buffer against climate-induced pressures in coastal a