Did you know nature is one of humanity’s best defences for adapting to climate change? A new funding opportunity is scaling up ecosystem-based adaptation across the world. The call for proposals is now open.
The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is launching in June this year. The goal is ambitious – to trigger a global movement for restoring the world’s ecosystems. This is not merely for nature’s sake, say experts. Mounting evidence shows that a global re-greening could help humanity adapt to climate change.
In cities, restoring urban forests cools the air and reduces heatwaves. On coasts, mangrove forests provide natural sea defences from storm surges. And in high altitudes, re-greening mountain slopes protects communities from climate-induced landslides and avalanches.
To support more of this work, known as ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA), the new Global EbA Fund opened its first call for proposals on 25 March. The fund, led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), will provide grants for innovative approaches to ecosystem-based adaptation.
“The momentum for nature-based solutions is building and the Global EbA Fund is ready to push this work to the next level,” says Tim Christophersen, UNEP’s Coordinator of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Read more…