Climate Adaptation and Protected Areas (CAPA) by International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)

The Climate Adaptation and Protected Areas (CAPA) initiative aims to enhance climate resilience and biodiversity protection through natural solutions. Collaborating with conservation partners like WWF Africa and WCS Africa, as well as local communities, marginalized groups, women, and authorities, the project will implement Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) for adaptation in and around protected areas in the Global South. This effort seeks to better integrate climate adaptation into the management of these areas, increasing the resilience of ecosystems and diverse social groups to climate change. The Organization will lead the project, managing agreements with Global Affairs Canada and partnering with WWF and WCS regional offices as sub-grantees.

The project aims to achieve three intermediate outcomes, focusing on enhancing the adoption of gender-responsive, conflict-sensitive nature-based solutions (NbS), integrating climate adaptation into Protected Area (PA) management, and increasing the participation of women and marginalized groups in these efforts.

For Intermediate Outcome 1100, the project will promote the adoption of NbS by raising awareness among PA stakeholders through media outreach, research, and knowledge dissemination at various events. It will enhance conservation practitioners’ skills by updating vulnerability assessments, conducting workshops, and developing practical guidance manuals for PA managers. Additionally, stakeholders will be supported in designing and implementing gender-responsive, conflict-sensitive NbS interventions.

Intermediate Outcome 1200 focuses on integrating climate adaptation into PA management. The project will enhance stakeholders’ use of climate change information by developing user-friendly climate risk profiles and fostering collaboration through stakeholder mapping and peer learning exercises. Technical guidance will be provided to improve PA managers’ capacity for Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning.

For Intermediate Outcome 1300, the project aims to increase the participation of women and marginalized groups in NbS design and implementation. It will conduct participatory gender analysis and develop communications products to raise awareness of gender and social norms among PA managers. Resources will be provided to support women and marginalized groups in designing and implementing NbS interventions.