Ecosystems approaches, an alternative to conventional approaches, aims at maintaining and improving the fertility and productivity of ecosystems. These approaches often include traditional practices like conservation agriculture, crop rotation, inter-cropping and biological control of pests. Such approaches are implemented to prevent soil erosion, improve soil fertility and enhance biological diversity. And with this, is an enhancement of productivity of ecosystems and consequent improvement in potential yields.
The role of ecosystems in adaptation is recognized at the international level under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.
Why an integrated approach to adaptation?
The ability of people to adapt to climate change is inextricably linked to their access to basic human rights and to the health of the ecosystems they depend on for their livelihoods and wellbeing. If adaptation policies and programs are to be effective, they must integrate efforts to sustain and restore ecosystem functions and promote human rights under changing climate conditions. (Ali Raza Rizvi, IUCN)
Objectives of integrated climate change adaptation
- To promote the resilience of livelihoods;
- To reduce the impacts of natural disasters such as storms and floods, on vulnerable people and ecosystems;
- To build the capacity of civil society and government institutions to support integrated approaches to adaptation;
- To increase awareness of the underlying causes of vulnerability (degraded ecosystems, poor governance, unequal access to resources and services, discrimination and other social injustices);
- To promote the sustainable management and conservation of biodiversity to maintain the benefits provided by ecosystems (e.g. provision of food and shelter).
Focusing on ecosystem based adaptation driven-agriculture and building climate resilience could unleash the hidden economic assets that can spiral growth, improve food and nutrition security, and create employment to unprecedented levels.
It is against this background that the 2nd Africa Ecosystem based adaptation for Food security conference was held in Nairobi- Kenya with the theme “Re-imagining Africa Food Security through harnessing Ecosystem based adaptation approaches Now and into the future under Climate Change”
For more information on this conference visit-http://www.afsac2.aaknet.org