Advancing Gender-Responsive and Socially Inclusive Practices in Nature-Based Solutions for Adaptation

The report presents two case studies on integrating gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) into nature-based solutions (NbS) for adaptation. The first case study focuses on the Pamoja Voices toolkit used by cooperatives in Zanzibar to ensure women and youth are included in climate-resilience planning. The second case study examines the Dane Nan Yḗ Dāh Network in Canada, where Kaska Dena Land Guardians combine Traditional Knowledge with Western science for land and wildlife monitoring. Both cases emphasize the necessity of community-led approaches, intergenerational knowledge sharing, and the use of disaggregated data in monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) to avoid maladaptation and ensure equitable benefit sharing.

• The Pamoja Voices Climate-Resilience Planning Toolkit in Zanzibar utilizes four participatory exercises—disaggregated data analysis, climate risk assessment, action plan development, and governance analysis—to ensure diverse voices, particularly women and youth, are included in adaptation decision-making.
• In Zanzibar, a lack of GESI considerations in early climate finance mechanisms led to inequitable benefits; for example, the inability of women to swim was overlooked when funding was used to move seaweed farming to deeper waters.
• The Dane Nan Yḗ Dāh Network in Canada employs Kaska Land Guardians to integrate Traditional Knowledge and Western science into climate adaptation, focusing on water monitoring, wildlife tracking, and the documentation of medicinal plants and cultural sites.
• Indigenous-led monitoring in the Kaska Dena ancestral territory helps counter 'parachute science' by ensuring local communities collect and validate their own data, which improves the accuracy of government climate monitoring.
• Effective GESI integration in NbS requires community-led and flexible approaches, such as adjusting activities to accommodate different literacy levels (e.g., using drawings instead of narrative writing) and providing advance notice for meetings to accommodate women's domestic responsibilities.
• Intergenerational collaboration is critical for sustainability in Indigenous-led NbS, with Elders providing essential advisory roles on wildlife behavior and culture while youth are hired to ensure the preservation of Traditional Knowledge.

APA

Jang, N., Caswell, C., McIvor, S., & Ball, T. (2025). Advancing Gender-Responsive and Socially Inclusive Practices in Nature-Based Solutions for Adaptation. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2025-02/case-studies-gender-equality-social-inclusion-nature-based-solutions_0.pdf

Chicago

Jang, Nicole, Calais Caswell, Sarah McIvor, and Tanya Ball. Advancing Gender-Responsive and Socially Inclusive Practices in Nature-Based Solutions for Adaptation. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2025. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2025-02/case-studies-gender-equality-social-inclusion-nature-based-solutions_0.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Jang |first1=Nicole |last2=Caswell |first2=Calais |last3=McIvor |first3=Sarah |last4=Ball |first4=Tanya |title=Advancing Gender-Responsive and Socially Inclusive Practices in Nature-Based Solutions for Adaptation |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=February 2025 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2025-02/case-studies-gender-equality-social-inclusion-nature-based-solutions_0.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{jang2025advancing, author = {Jang, Nicole and Caswell, Calais and McIvor, Sarah and Ball, Tanya}, title = {{Advancing Gender-Responsive and Socially Inclusive Practices in Nature-Based Solutions for Adaptation}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2025}, month = feb, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2025-02/case-studies-gender-equality-social-inclusion-nature-based-solutions_0.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }