Enhance Resilience to Climate Change by Integrating Ecosystems into Adaptation Planning: Policy Recommendations for the National Adaptation Plan of Madagascar
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2016-12
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Abstract
The purpose of this Capstone Project is to create science-based policy recommendations on integrating ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) into Madagascar’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP), which is a plan developed by the national government and coordinated through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Working with climate science and policy experts at Conservation International, the options to enhance Madagascar’s resilience to climate change impacts are assessed by mapping and analyzing spatial data on climate change stressors, agricultural production and livelihoods, and essential natural capital, to identify geographies and livelihoods that are vulnerable to climate change. This data guided the creation of targeted recommendations for Madagascar’s NAP that identify where and in what ways climate resilience can be enhanced through activities that harness the potential of EbA.
These recommendations are significant because they will allow the Malagasy government to prioritize adaptation and sustainable development interventions and investments based on data and scientific evidence across the entire socio-ecological-economic system. Such prioritization, based on a clear understanding of the trade-offs each decision entails, will lead to longer-term sustainability of the selected adaptation actions – ultimately contributing to increased climate resilience for the Malagasy people.
Conducting this analysis serves as a culmination of the skills and knowledge that I have developed in the fields of climate science, policy analysis, and socio-economics during my time in the EPC program.
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climate change, adaptation, ecosystems, ecosystem-based adaptation, climate policy