Introduction - The Importance of Context in EbA
*Download the full report from the right hand column. The key messages from the report are provided below. See the full text for more detail. The report is also available in Spanish.
Methods
Five Key Insights

Local maize varieites labelled in a community-run seedbank established by ASOCUCH in San Francisco, Guatemala. The seedbanks store a broad range of varieties adapted to local conditions, including more drought tolerant native varieties. (Photo: TMG Research)
In addition to fostering environmental and social principles, EbA initiatives need to make economic sense.
Investing in EbA, especially for smallholder farmers, requires upfront investments. In order to take on the considerable risks involved in transitioning to more sustainable farming practices, farmers need to understand that such efforts will pay dividends in the long run. But for many farmers, the capital outlay required may simply be out of their reach. It is therefore essential that community EbA initiatives also explore non-farm financial incentives to boost farmers’ income.
EbA can be used to generate additional income sources for local communities, for example through ecotourism activities in India. (Photo: WOTR)

Lessons Learnt
- Recognise communities as lead actors in EbA initiatives.
- Foster social organisation and collective action.
- Acknowledge the vital intermediary role of local support organisations.
- Local knowledge must be complemented by ecosystem-level knowledge.
- Enhance ecosystem-based livelihoods.
- Include conflict resolution in EbA and ensure compliance with safeguards.
- Make funding available to local organisations.
- Consider the history of pre-existing initiatives.
Suggested citation
Stiem-Bhatia L., El Fassi M., de Condappa D., Weigelt J., Benavides L., Mwangi W., Pérez E., Sajvin A., De León R., D'Souza M., Srinidhi A., Porta M. and Rodríguez A. (2021). Ecosystems for resilience Enabling community-led adaptation: Five key insights from Guatemala and India. Policy Paper. TMG, WOTR, WWF, ADIMI.
The Climate-SDG Integration project: Supporting the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda through Ecosystem-based Adaptation (2015–2021) is implemented by a consortium of partners, namely: TMG Research gGmbH (Berlin, Germany); WWF Mesoamerica and ADIMI (Guatemala City, Guatemala); and WOTR (Pune, India). Funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), the project’s core objective was to develop roadmaps for scaling up EbA in India and Guatemala.
Further resources
- Resilience: An Introduction
- From Watershed Development to Ecosystem-based Adaptation: A journey to systemic resilience
- Building Resilience to Floods and Rain-Induced Landslides in Barangay Napaan
- Designing Effective Locally Managed Areas in Tropical Marine Environments
- The Buffelsdraai Community Reforestation Project
- Ecosistemas para la resiliencia Propiciando la adaptación dirigida por la comunidad: Cinco conceptos claves de Guatemala y la In
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