Nature-Based Solutions Inventory for Zambia

The report provides a detailed inventory of 13 nature-based solutions (NbS) projects across Zambia, focusing on their approaches, targeted ecosystems, and the climate and biodiversity risks they address. It highlights the high dependency of Zambia's economy on natural resources, with agriculture employing about 70% of the population, and the resulting vulnerability to temperature extremes, erratic rainfall, and floods. Key interventions across the documented projects include the restoration of wetlands and forests, the implementation of agroforestry and conservation farming, and the development of sustainable livelihoods such as beekeeping and non-timber forest product harvesting. The inventory notes that projects are heavily concentrated in ecologically vital landscapes, including national parks and major basins like the Barotse and Lake Tanganyika. Many initiatives emphasize gender-responsive approaches and participatory governance to ensure inclusive adaptation.

• Zambia's economy is heavily reliant on natural resources, making it highly vulnerable to climate change. Agriculture employs approximately 70% of the population and accounts for about 3.4% of the GDP, while forests contribute between 4.7% and 6.3% of the GDP when including multiplier effects from tourism and forestry.
• The inventory documents 13 NbS for adaptation projects distributed across eight provinces. The highest concentrations are in Central and Eastern Provinces (four projects each), followed by Northern, Southern, and Western Provinces (three projects each), Luapula and Muchinga Provinces (two projects each), and Lusaka Province (one project).
• NbS projects in Zambia are primarily concentrated in critical biodiversity hotspots and economically vital landscapes, including the Bangweulu Wetland, the Lukanga Swamp, the Kafue Flats, the Barotse Basin, the Lake Tanganyika Basin, miombo woodlands, and several national parks such as Sioma Ngwezi, Mosi-oa-Tunya, Lower Zambezi, and the North and South Luangwa National Parks.
• Common NbS approaches employed in Zambia include the restoration of wetlands and floodplains for rainwater harvesting and flood control, forest regeneration for carbon sequestration, and the use of agroforestry to improve soil quality. Other interventions include rotational grazing models to stabilize rangelands and the rehabilitation of riparian buffer zones to control erosion.
• To ensure economic sustainability, many NbS initiatives integrate nature-based livelihood strategies, such as beekeeping, the sustainable harvesting of non-timber forest products (including honey, tamarind, baobab, and mushrooms), and the development of ecotourism enterprises.
• Projects frequently incorporate gender-responsive and inclusive strategies, such as training gender, age, and ability-diverse 'GESI champions', establishing women-led community fruit tree nurseries, and ensuring women's participation in community resource boards and fishery management committees.
• Specific large-scale targets have been set across various projects, including the restoration of over 18,000 ha of forest and wetland in one project, the preservation of more than 300,000 ha of forest through community management groups in another, and a goal to restore 150,000 ha of degraded forest and farmland in a third.

APA

Sekirime, S., Mwangilwa, E., & Abowe, D. (2026). Nature-Based Solutions Inventory for Zambia. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-06/nature-based-solutions-inventory-zambia.pdf

Chicago

Sekirime, Susan, Enock Mwangilwa, and Daniel Abowe. Nature-Based Solutions Inventory for Zambia. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2026. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-06/nature-based-solutions-inventory-zambia.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Sekirime |first1=Susan |last2=Mwangilwa |first2=Enock |last3=Abowe |first3=Daniel |title=Nature-Based Solutions Inventory for Zambia |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=June 2026 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-06/nature-based-solutions-inventory-zambia.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sekirime2026naturebased, author = {Sekirime, Susan and Mwangilwa, Enock and Abowe, Daniel}, title = {{Nature-Based Solutions Inventory for Zambia}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2026}, month = jun, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-06/nature-based-solutions-inventory-zambia.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }