COMMUNITY-BASED ADAPTATION TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE FOR COASTAL COMMUNITIES

An estimated 35 million people  live in the 19 coastal districts of Bangladesh, who are  at high risk in the face of climate change Experts suspected that due to global warming, 10-15% Bangladesh’s land could be inundated by 2050, resulting in over 25 million climate refugees from the coastal districts.

Against this backdrop, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) introduced a first ever global Least Developed Countries Fund-LDCF project in 2009 called ‘Community-based Adaptation to Climate Change through Coastal Afforestation (CBACC)’ which was innovative in a way that it drew together climate change adaptation and economic development, through coastal afforestation to push back the impact of climate change. Under that project, UNDP carried out 9,000 ha. of mangrove afforestation.

After the successful completion of the first phase of the project, in 2016, UNDP with financial support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) has initiated ‘Integrating Community-based Adaptation into Afforestation and Reforestation (ICBA-AR) Programmes in Bangladesh with an aim to reduce vulnerability of communities to the adverse impacts of climate change through participative design, community-based management, and diversification of afforestation and reforestation programmes.

Inception Workshop on Integrating Community-based Adaptation into Afforestation and Reforestation (ICBA-AR)

The ICBA-AR project will reforest 650 ha. of degraded mangroves with 12 different species to enhance resilience of mangrove through diversification; provide agricultural, fisheries, livestock  and innovative livelihood support to poor communities; demonstrate 100 ha. of Fish-Fruit-Forest (FFF) model which has received two international awards (Earth Care Award-2012 from India and People Choice Award-2013 from USA) to adapt climate risk in Coast; engage local communities in coastal forest management and sharing forest benefits among others. Around 10,500 poor local households will be benefitted from the project and 6,000 Cyclone Preparedness Program volunteers will receive training and equipment support through the project. In 2017 the project has reached 2310 household of which round 44% beneficiaries are female. UNDP Press Release