Improved Climate Change Governance through the Implementation of Nature-Based Solutions

This project seeks to create the enabling conditions to encourage target countries in Latin America (Brazil Colombia Guatemala and Mexico) to adopt and invest in climate-relevant Nature-Based Solutions (NBS). Climate-relevant NBS are designed to address climate change and provide essential services including carbon storage ensuring food and water supplies and buffering against the impacts of global warming. As governments have limited resources to invest in NBS and face increasing pressures related to climate change and ecosystem degradation NBS offer cost-effective and resilient strategies to achieve their development priorities. This project seeks to integrate NBS with a gender-responsive approach to target Agriculture Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) and infrastructure needs. It also seeks to create opportunities for private sector investment in NBS which remains low in countries throughout the region. This is needed to bridge the funding gap and scale up NBS to achieve effective long-term outcomes. Project activities include: (1) conducting biodiversity mainstreaming and natural capital accounting approaches training with policymakers; (2) conducting a policy assessment for NBS inclusion;(3) conducting a valuation assessment for climate and ecosystem services; (4) preparing business cases and natural resources valuation assessments for NBS implementation aligned with the national infrastructure sector and AFOLU priorities; (5) conducting training and capacity building on gender mainstreaming with national policymakers and relevant civil society stakeholders; and (6) conducting a gender-specific analysis of formal and customary practices for managing and conserving ecosystem services in target countries.

The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) improved integration of biodiversity and ecosystem services in national economic decision-making in target countries to foster the implementation of nature-based climate solutions; (2) increased private sector investment and national budget allocation for the implementation of biodiversity and ecosystem services initiatives with a focus on nature-based climate solutions; and (3) increased development of gender responsive NBS-related policies by governments in the target countries.