Nature-Based Solutions Inventory for Zambia

The Nature-Based Solutions Inventory for Zambia, published in June 2026 by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), documents 13 nature-based solutions (NbS) projects implemented across eight provinces of Zambia. The report details how these projects address climate and biodiversity crises through ecosystem restoration, sustainable land management, and the integration of gender-responsive and community-led governance to enhance the resilience of vulnerable populations and critical ecosystems.

• Zambia's economy is heavily reliant on natural resources, with agriculture providing employment for approximately 70% of the population and contributing about 3.4% of the GDP. Forests are estimated to contribute between 4.7% and 6.3% of the GDP, while the fisheries sub-sector contributes about 3.3% of the national GDP.
• The inventory identifies 13 NbS for adaptation projects distributed across eight provinces. The highest concentrations of projects are in Central and Eastern Provinces (four projects each), followed by Northern, Southern, and Western Provinces (three projects each). Other projects are located in Luapula (two), Muchinga (two), and Lusaka (one) provinces.
• NbS projects in Zambia utilize a wide array of technical approaches to combat climate risks. These include restoring wetlands and rehabilitating floodplains for rainwater harvesting and flood control, regenerating forests for carbon sequestration, using agroforestry to improve soil quality, and implementing rotational grazing models to stabilize rangelands.
• Many NbS initiatives integrate environmental restoration with livelihood development to provide economic benefits. Examples include the development of beekeeping, sustainable harvesting of non-timber forest products (such as honey, tamarind, baobab, and mushrooms), and the creation of community-led ecotourism enterprises.
• The projects emphasize social inclusion and gender-responsive strategies. This includes training gender, age, and ability-diverse 'GESI champions', establishing women-led community fruit tree nurseries, and ensuring at least 60% involvement of women in the management of fisheries, agriculture, and irrigation infrastructure in specific projects like the Lake Tanganyika Development Project.
• Specific large-scale restoration targets are documented across various projects: the Sustainable Land Restoration project aims to restore 150,000 ha of degraded forest and farmland, while the Zambia Integrated Forest Landscape Project (ZIFLP) placed 72,840 ha of forest under sustainable management and promoted climate-smart agriculture across 190,304 ha of farmland.
• The report highlights critical biodiversity and climate risks being addressed, including the warming of Lake Tanganyika's waters by 0.1C per decade over the last 100 years, which has led to a 20% reduction in the lake's biological productivity.

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} }