ACHIEVING CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION THROUGH INTEGRATED LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT

The document advocates for Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) as a critical mechanism to overcome the limitations of siloed sectoral approaches to climate change adaptation. It defines ILM as a process where diverse stakeholders collaborate to manage natural resources sustainably at a local scale, typically ranging from 100 to 10,000 km2. The authors identify five key features of effective ILM: multi-stakeholder institutions, structured cross-sector planning, synergistic interventions, aligned public policies, and coordinated investment portfolios. Using the Imarisha Naivasha initiative in Kenya as a case study, the paper demonstrates how ILM can resolve resource conflicts and build resilience. It concludes with recommendations for the Global Commission on Adaptation to foster ILM platforms, improve inter-agency planning, mobilize private sector investment, and build research systems for climate-resilient landscapes.

• Siloed sectoral approaches to climate change adaptation often lead to resource conflicts, missed synergies, and limited scalability because government administrations and NGOs are typically organized by sector and jurisdiction.
• Effective Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) is characterized by five core elements: multi-stakeholder coordination institutions, structured cross-sector analysis and planning, synergistic farm and landscape interventions, aligned public policies, and coordinated investment portfolios.
• The Imarisha Naivasha initiative in Kenya's Lake Naivasha Basin illustrates the success of ILM, resulting in the protection of 70 kilometers of riparian zone, the planting of over 150,000 trees, and the rehabilitation of a sewage treatment plant to improve hydrological resilience.
• To enhance ecological and production resilience, landscapes require high diversity in land cover, land use, and species, which cushions communities from climatic shocks and provides 'famine foods' during adverse conditions.
• Private sector engagement is critical but currently underrepresented in ILM; only one quarter of 428 documented multi-stakeholder landscape partnerships involved private companies.
• The authors recommend that the Global Commission on Adaptation catalyze actions to strengthen ILM platforms, improve inter-agency planning, mobilize business community adaptation strategies, and build research systems for climate-resilient ILM.

APA

Shames, S., & Scherr, S. J. (2019). ACHIEVING CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION THROUGH INTEGRATED LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT. World Resources Institute. https://files.wri.org/s3fs-public/uploads/Climate_Adaptation_Through_Integrated_Landscape_Management_Paper_-_Global_Commission_on_Adaptation.pdf

Chicago

Shames, Seth, and Sara J. Scherr. ACHIEVING CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION THROUGH INTEGRATED LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT. World Resources Institute, 2019. https://files.wri.org/s3fs-public/uploads/Climate_Adaptation_Through_Integrated_Landscape_Management_Paper_-_Global_Commission_on_Adaptation.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Shames |first1=Seth |last2=Scherr |first2=Sara J. |title=ACHIEVING CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION THROUGH INTEGRATED LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=2 September 2019 |url=https://files.wri.org/s3fs-public/uploads/Climate_Adaptation_Through_Integrated_Landscape_Management_Paper_-_Global_Commission_on_Adaptation.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{shames2019achieving, author = {Shames, Seth and Scherr, Sara J.}, title = {{ACHIEVING CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION THROUGH INTEGRATED LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2019}, month = sep, url = {https://files.wri.org/s3fs-public/uploads/Climate_Adaptation_Through_Integrated_Landscape_Management_Paper_-_Global_Commission_on_Adaptation.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }