Search Climate Insights Directory

This case study describes the community-led restoration of the Nsongwe River in southern Zambia. After years of degradation and deforestation, a small group of residents began desilting and reforesting the waterway. This effort has since been scaled up through the Climate Adaptation and Protected Areas (CAPA) Initiative, a partnership between the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and WWF Zambia, supported by Global Affairs Canada, to implement nature-based solutions for climate adaptation.

This technical brief provides a comprehensive checklist for practitioners to design and implement Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for climate change adaptation. It integrates standards from the IUCN, CBD, and FEBA, emphasizing that effective projects must combine climate risk assessments with biodiversity co-benefits, gender-responsive and socially inclusive governance, and conflict-sensitive planning.

The Climate Adaptation and Protected Areas (CAPA) Initiative, funded by Global Affairs Canada, implements nature-based solutions (NbS) to enhance climate resilience and biodiversity in protected areas and critical ecosystems across several global landscapes.