We invest in partnerships that support the sustainable use, management, and restoration of ecosystems by involving local communities as the stewards, knowledge-holders, and owners of those resources.
The challenge
Healthy nature provides essential services for human well-being and increases the climate resilience of communities. For example, forests regulate water cycles, providing water for agriculture and reducing flooding. Ecosystems also provide pollination and are a key element for food security.
Ecosystems are showing rapid decline worldwide. The degradation of forests, farmlands, and coasts is already affecting the well-being of an estimated 3.2 billion people worldwide.
Ecosystem management and restoration are key ingredients of a comprehensive response to climate change. Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) harnesses nature-based solutions and ecosystem services to help people adapt to climate change. Although EbA is a cost-effective and sustainable way to address climate resilience, public finance and philanthropic investments for EbA are still minimal.
Our response
Our partnerships support the sustainable use, management, and restoration of ecosystems by involving local communities as the stewards, knowledge-holders, and owners of those resources.
Smallholders produce a third of the world’s food.
SCALING UP ECOSYSTEM-BASED ADAPTATION
We focus on scaling up EbA by investing in new and tested solutions and approaches. Our investments also serve to connect practitioners to encourage learning and the transfer of best practices.
We invest in nature-based solutions that reduce climate risks for communities, such as mangrove restoration for coastal protection and forest management for slope stability. We inspire collective action by engaging with other philanthropic organisations and investing in the scaling of EbA solutions.
ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION AND MANAGEMENT
We invest in programmes that increase the capacity of communities to implement ecosystem restoration and management, and conservation initiatives. These investments aim to improve ecosystem health with many associated benefits.
We invest in ecosystem restoration with local and climate-resilient species for improved water availability, soil quality, and slope stability. In coastal areas, we invest in mangrove management to improve fish habitats for livelihoods and to reduce coastal flooding and salt-water intrusion.
We are keen to invest in initiatives that champion community leadership in the design, implementation, and monitoring of ecosystem management programmes. We also invest in testing and scaling up innovative payment mechanisms for ecosystem services that enable communities to earn an income from conservation and sustainable ecosystem management.
CLIMATE-RESILIENT AGRICULTURE
Smallholders represent 75 % of global farms and produce a third of the world’s food. They are disproportionately affected by extreme weather events. By making food scarce, these disruptions affect people’s ability to maintain a healthy diet, increase inflation by making food more expensive, and fuel migration.
We invest in the development and scaling of agricultural solutions that increase climate resilience. We support smallholders to improve productivity while reducing the impacts of extreme weather events on their farms. We support regenerative agriculture solutions. These initiatives will result in increased and diversified sources of income for farmers and surrounding communities.
adaptation
