Time: 13:00 - 14:00
Climate change adds a layer of complexity to sustainable development and biodiversity conservation challenges. Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) options are gaining prominence as relevant climate change solutions. Often, however, the ability of decision-makers to assess the contribution that ecosystems can make to climate change adaptation is limited. To begin overcoming this barrier, Conservation South Africa in partnership with local government has developed a socio-ecological approach for identifying spatial EbA priorities at the sub-national level. These priorities are contextualised using an integrated spatial and scenario based approach to communicate robust climate change projections, and potential impacts, to sub-national decision-makers. The methodology uses GIS-based multi-criteria analysis and vegetation distribution models to map a range of plausible climate futures. During this talk Amanda Bourne will present a case study of this methodology from the Namakwa District municipality in South Africa, and also provide practical examples of EbA implementation in the same location.
Amanda Bourne is currently the climate change adaptation manager at Conservation South Africa’s Succulent Field Office, located in Springbok in the Northern Cape. She runs all the climate change adaptation projects in CSA’s Succulent Karoo Hotspots Programme and also works on this theme with our teams in other South African landscapes, regionally, and internationally.