Eswatini Environment Fund: Funding climate change adaptation and biodiversity actions at the local level

The Eswatini Environment Fund (EEF), managed by the Eswatini Environment Authority, provides small grants to community-led projects to promote environmental sustainability and climate resilience. The fund focuses on thematic areas including climate change adaptation, sustainable land management, and biodiversity protection. Case studies, such as the Lawuba and Shewula wetland projects, demonstrate how these investments improve water security, create alternative livelihoods for women and youth, and provide carbon sequestration co-benefits. The document argues for stronger synergies between the EEF and Eswatini's National Adaptation Plan (NAP) to maximize the impact of limited finances through ecosystem-based adaptation.

• The Eswatini Environment Fund (EEF) is managed by the Eswatini Environment Authority and is capitalized through a mix of government concessions, grants from development partners, and environmental fine collections.
• The EEF prioritizes five thematic areas, four of which directly support climate adaptation: climate change adaptation, sustainable land management, water availability, use, and management, and ecosystem, habitat, biodiversity protection, and sustainable use.
• In 2022, the EEF awarded SZL 1.1 million (approximately USD 65,000) to six community projects focusing on climate change education, land rehabilitation (erosion control), and wetlands management.
• The fund has supported 56 projects to date, with specific examples showing significant economic and adaptive benefits: the Lawuba wetland project generated SZL 1.2 million from craft sales following a SZL 278,000 grant, and the Shewula wetland restoration project used a SZL 150,000 grant to install solar water pumping systems and protect indigenous species.
• EEF projects have improved community adaptive capacity by enhancing water quantity and quality during dry seasons, restoring flora and fauna, and creating alternative livelihoods that help rural populations cope with climate impacts.
• While the EEF promotes equal participation, it has faced challenges in finding women for leadership roles, though progress was noted in 2019 when women made up 40% of the committees overseeing 11 funded projects.
• The document recommends aligning the EEF with Eswatini's National Adaptation Plan (NAP) by focusing on ecosystem-based adaptation, improving financial management systems to attract climate finance, and timing project implementation to avoid conflict with farming calendars.

APA

Tfwala, S., Mabaso, S., Groenewald, M., Khumalo, K., Matsebula, S., & Murphy, D. (2023). Eswatini Environment Fund: Funding climate change adaptation and biodiversity actions at the local level. NAP Global Network. https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/napgn-en-2023-eswatini-environmental-fund.pdf

Chicago

Tfwala, Samkele, Sizwe Mabaso, Minky Groenewald, Khetsiwe Khumalo, Sipho Matsebula, and Deborah Murphy. Eswatini Environment Fund: Funding climate change adaptation and biodiversity actions at the local level. NAP Global Network, 2023. https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/napgn-en-2023-eswatini-environmental-fund.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Tfwala |first1=Samkele |last2=Mabaso |first2=Sizwe |last3=Groenewald |first3=Minky |last4=Khumalo |first4=Khetsiwe |last5=Matsebula |first5=Sipho |last6=Murphy |first6=Deborah |title=Eswatini Environment Fund: Funding climate change adaptation and biodiversity actions at the local level |publisher=NAP Global Network |date=March 2023 |url=https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/napgn-en-2023-eswatini-environmental-fund.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{tfwala2023eswatini, author = {Tfwala, Samkele and Mabaso, Sizwe and Groenewald, Minky and Khumalo, Khetsiwe and Matsebula, Sipho and Murphy, Deborah}, title = {{Eswatini Environment Fund: Funding climate change adaptation and biodiversity actions at the local level}}, institution = {NAP Global Network}, year = {2023}, month = mar, url = {https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/napgn-en-2023-eswatini-environmental-fund.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }