By Dr Arvind Kumar President India Water Foundation
“#Climatechange has emerged as a global phenomenon entailing extensive consequences and is deemed as a ‘threat multiplier’ entailing the potential of amplifying #globalrisks. Tackling numerous threats stemming from climate change is fraught with an array of problems of fiscal resources, #governance, #transnationalcooperation and pressure. Deployment of fiscal and technological resources, apart from being extremely expensive, is prone to fall apart in the absence of a governance mechanism based on natural solutions. Therefore, there is a growing recognition for the need for going in for nature-based adaptive solutions to enhance resilience to climate change and #ecosystembasedadaptation (EbA) is gaining salience over adaptive solutions to climate change”. 
#IndiaWaterFoundation (#IWF), a New Delhi-based non-profit civil society, has been instrumental in getting #EbA approach integrated into the #StateClimateChangeActionPlan in the state of #Meghalaya, a state located in India’s #NorthEast region, where IWF has been cooperating with the state government in policy-making and implementation in managing natural resources under the government’s flagship programme entitled #IntegratedBasinDevelopmentandLivelihoodsProgramme (IBDLP). Prior to implementation of #IBDLP project, Meghalaya was marred by environmental degradation. Increased and unsustainable resource utilization culminating in pushing back the boundaries of forests and turning clear streams into muddy water resulting in water stress and declining water storage capacities. Excessive mining activity created severe problems negatively impacting #environment in terms of #soildegradation, #anthropogenicwaterpollution and eventually leading to the extinction of aquatic life. Absence of avian and aquatic populace made Meghalaya’s predominantly tribal hunter-communities dependent on hunting for food.
Various problems identified and tackled under this project were: risks emanating from water-induced and environment-induced vagaries in terms of insecurity of #water, #food and #energy sectors, #floods, #drought, water and #airpollution, #erosionofland, #lossofbiodiversity, #deforestation and loss of livelihoods, bulk of land owned by local communities etc., adversely impacting upon natural ecosystems rendering them unsustainable and socio-economic and cultural lives of the local communities.
Ecosystem based adaptation (EbA) approach adopted in Meghalaya has facilitated enhanced climate resilience, conservation of biodiversity & #Ecoservices. It has delivered manifold economic, social and environmental co-benefits that surpass climate adaptation and these, inter alia, include: biodiversity conservation through enhanced habitat conditions; #climate mitigation through increased carbon sequestration; conservation of #traditionalknowledge, #livelihood and practices of local communities; improved recreation and tourism opportunities; enhanced #foodsecurity etc. Another thrust area under this Project was to address the issues and challenges arising out of Jhum and Bun cultivation with active involvement of all the concerned stakeholders and community mobilization, capacity building of the #stakeholders, #convergence, creation of flexible and modern institutions, better delivery of services, and overall improvement in #Governance. A broad platform of better governance and a high level of community participation was set up to create new and #holisticinitiatives to address the problem of unchecked #deforestation, adopting polluters pay principle, mining and water pollution to create a #circulareconomy.
Being convinced about the utility of EbA approach in combating vagaries of climate change, IWF as #developmentpartneroftheMeghalayabasinDevelopmentAuthority, Government of Meghalaya, has been instrumental in getting EbA integrated into the implementation of the IBDLP and the salutary outcomes have reinforced our convictions about the utility of EbA as an effective tool to combat the adverse impacts of climate change. It is an on-going project to envisage all-round sustainable development of Meghalaya.
EbA interventions have enabled to transform the challenge of climate variability into opportunity under #ApicultureMission and #HorticultureMission to transform barren land tracts into tea plantations and orchids. Under the #GreenMission, EbA interventions have enabled in enhancing sustainable green cover, adoption of green technologies and building up a #greenmovement thereby resulting in enhanced resilience to climate change, reduction in #greenhousegas (#GHG) emissions and increased scope for alternative livelihood opportunities. EbA interventions under the #Forestry and #PlantationCropsMissions have led to forest conservation, enhanced forest-cover areas, #sustainableagriculture, #carbonsequestration, diminution in GHG emissions and environment sustainability thereby ensuing food security.
The practice of EbA brought into vogue in Meghalaya by IWF has enabled the local communities to garner multiple benefits accruing from restoration of man-made wetlands, forest conservation and sustainable forest management that have helped in carbon sequestration, improved water quality, reducing risks from natural hazards, biodiversity conservation, improvement in alternative livelihoods and poverty alleviation. Besides, it has also helped in realizing specific Sustainable Development Goals (#SDGs), specifically improved livelihoods in terms of SDG-1, increased water, energy and food security in terms of SDGs 2, 6, 7, enhanced Climate Change resilience in terms of SDG-13 and augmented #Biodiversity conservation and Eco-services in terms of SDG-13. 15
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