Integrating climate change adaptation, the natural environment and poverty reduction into national and regional policy frameworks

The primary purpose of this project is to inform national-level policy debates on the role of the natural environment within challenges of development, poverty reduction and climate change adaptation in Nepal, Tanzania and Belize.

National governments, donors and civil society are increasingly seeking guidance for the support and delivery of climate adaptation.

Given previous failures to integrate environmental concerns into national development planning and with MDG 7 being far off track, there is a critical need to provide early and consistent country-driven recommendations for integrating environmental and poverty concerns into emerging initiatives on climate change adaptation.

The primary purpose of this research, commissioned by WWF UK and working with WWF staff in 3 countries, is to inform national-level policy debates on the role of the natural environment in meeting the inter-related challenges of development, poverty reduction and climate change adaptation – with a focus on Nepal, Tanzania and Belize.

Complementary project purposes

• Provide evidence that the WWF network can use to engage with donors (in particular DFID) on the role of the natural environment in meeting the challenges of development, poverty reduction and climate change adaptation.
• Support WWF in defining and communicating climate change adaptation in ways that are relevant and applicable to the experiences of national offices, gaining clarity on the benefits and constraints of ecosystem-based approaches to adaptation for practice and policy makers.
• Identify and share emerging lessons from national-level dialogues and research to inform the local, national and international adaptation debate.
• Inform the broader international development community, through linking to targeted advocacy activities in the UK (with other development NGOs, DFID and other parts of UK Government), WWF network and international stakeholders (UNFCCC), etc.

Undertaking this research is to help strengthen WWF’s understanding of the need to shift from the traditional ‘restore-and-maintain’ approach, commonly taken in conservation, to a ‘managing-for-change’ approach under adaptation – recognising what differences in approach are needed to deliver under a dynamic climate.