Climate Tribune Dhaka Tribune | SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 2021
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Dhaka Tribune | SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 2021 Climate Tribune
2 Saturday, January 23, 2021
Nature-based solutions should be an
integral part of locally-led adaptation
Even though the
term nature-
based solutions is
relatively young, its
philosophy is being
practiced globally
for decades, if not
centuries
n Haseeb Md Irfanullah
T
o keep global temperature rise
below 2 °C, countries around
the world are promising to
cut carbon emissions, though
quite slowly. But, despite such climate
mitigation measures, the effects of cli-
mate change will continue over the
decades to come. And, we will need to
continue adapting to changing climate
and be resilient.
We often say, with subtle romanti-
cism, whether governments act judi-
ciously or not, people facing climate
change will continue to adjust to its ef-
fects in their own ways. Climate vulner-
able peoples’ knowledge, their bravery,
their improvisation — from Peru to the
Philippines, from Sub-Saharan Africa to
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) —
have been widely praised on countless
occasions over the past two decades.
While we appreciate individuals’
triumphs, facing a crisis like climate
change is too much for individuals, Figure 1: Nature-based Solutions (NbS) is an umbrella concept of ecosystem-based approaches to address societal challenges, such as climate
families, neighbourhoods, or even for change mitigation and adaptation, disaster risk reduction, economic and social development, human health, food, and water insecurity, and
a country. We need collective global environmental degradation and biodiversity loss, giving both human wellbeing and biodiversity benefits. Source: IUCN Global Standard for
actions. But, we have to play our indi- NbS (2020)
vidual roles so that our collective efforts
can join together at appropriate levels
of our social, administrative, and global operates in a much bigger geographical Locally-led Adaptation (LLA) has been local-level entities.
structures. area beyond artificially defined units. extensively discussed, especially how LLA actions include a wide range of
But, which lowest level would make The floodwater, for example, we see in to make it effective and impactful. ingenious solutions addressing diverse
our adaptation action effective? We see, Belkuchi of Sirajganj district of Bang- LLA is when communities, communi- climate-related challenges. These solu-
feel, and experience climate change im- ladesh enters from the Brahmaputra ty-based organizations, federations, lo- tions are effective at different scales
pacts in a specific geographical area we River flowing down from China through cal governments, and others working at offering direct and indirect social, eco-
live in, grow our food, collect our water, India. Bangladesh is only 8% of the Gan- the local level identify, prioritize, plan, nomic, and environmental benefits to
earn our living. It is, therefore, logical to ges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Basin. What implement, monitor, evaluate, and the communities. But, if we look into
plan for adaptation keeping in mind the happens in 92% of the catchment in learn from adaptation actions. Such ac- the world’s climate-vulnerable peoples,
local surroundings. Bhutan, China, India, and Nepal influ- tions are supported by national govern- almost all directly depend on nature for
We often see our surroundings as ad- ence Bangladesh’s waters significantly ments, development partners, civil so- their lives, livelihoods, and well-being.
ministrative units — a village, a munici- under changing climate. ciety organizations (CSOs), and private It is, therefore, natural to find adapta-
pality, or a district. But, climate change In recent years, the importance of sector agencies by closely working with tion solutions in nature. That brings
Saturday, January 23, 2021
3
examples of NbS since ecosystems and and governance aspect of the NbS. It is tion (gca.org) and the COP26 (ukcop26.
biodiversity are used in them to adapt to crucial that an NbS is designed and im- org), are showing increasing interest
climate change, mitigate it, and reduce plemented by involving local and indige- both in LLA and NbS. As we continue to
disaster risks, respectively. nous people of the locality. It should have develop principles for LLA, to find ways
Like LLA, our understanding of NbS a proper grievance resolution mechanism to fund it effectively, and to identify in-
is still taking its shape. It is therefore for the affected people. Participation of dicators to monitor and evaluate it, it is
important to know which issues are all stakeholders should also be based on high time to make LLA stronger by inte-
critical to defining NbS. Without that, mutual respect and equity. grating NbS into it.
there is a possibility of misunderstand- When we implement a catchment Bangladesh has long experience in
ing, misinterpreting, and misusing NbS, restoration program, although it en- community-based natural resource
which may have a negative impact on hances certain ecosystem benefits, it management, community-based ad-
Bangladesh is only our society and environment. may reduce some other ecosystem ben- aptation (CBA), and ecosystem-based
8% of the Ganges- In February 2020, 20 leading envi- efits. So, we should ensure that such adaptation. The country can therefore
ronmental organizations proposed four trade-offs are estimated, agreed upon, lead the way on how LLA can adopt and
Brahmaputra-Meghna guiding principles for successful NbS and maintained (sixth criterion). The implement NbS effectively. The Bangla-
Basin. What happens in (nbsguidelines.info). They noted that restoration program should have mon- desh Climate Change Trust Fund ($443
NbS should not be considered as an alter- itoring, evaluation, and learning system million invested in 789 projects); the
92% of the catchment native to the rapid shift to clean energy so that new evidence can continue sup- Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100; the Mujib
in Bhutan, China, India, that we so badly need to keep the world porting management decisions (sev- Climate Prosperity Plan (2021−2030)
cooler; NbS should ensure that our eco- enth criterion). The eighth criterion of (due in March 2021); an updated Na-
and Nepal influence systems continue capturing carbon, rath- the standard expects that an NbS, like tionally Determined Contributions
Bangladesh’s waters er than releasing carbon; and NbS should catchment restoration, should not be (NDC) 2020; an updated Bangladesh Cli-
enhance biodiversity and avoid, for ex- confined in the area where it is imple- mate Change Strategy and Action Plan
significantly under ample, large-scale tree plantations with mented. It should be widely practised in (BCCSAP); and the National Adaptation
changing climate single, non-native species. similar conditions and should be main- Plan (NAP) (due in May 2021) are creat-
But most importantly, NbS should streamed through a change in policies ing real opportunities for Bangladesh to
be implemented with full involvement and regulations. prioritize NbS as a core adaptation op-
and approval of indigenous peoples and So, we now have sufficient guidelines tion in LLA.
local communities, apply strong social in hand to effectively design, implement, Since nature is crucial for cli-
protection mechanisms, build human monitor, and scale-up NbS to fight climate mate-vulnerable people, the landscape
capacity for adaptation, and recognize, change. We also have a large number they live in should be part of their local
respect, and uphold livelihoods and hu- of research and analyses to understand adaptation solutions — nature-based
man rights during implementation. what works and what does not work na- solutions have to be an integral part of
us to the concept called Nature-based These points, especially the last one, turebasedsolutionsinitiative.org). We do locally-led adaptation. Can it be a New
Solutions (NbS). are echoed in IUCN’s Global Standard need to remember a wide range of issues Year resolution of Bangladesh in 2021? l
As a term, NbS is relatively young. for NbS. In July 2020, pulling together while implementing NbS, but among
But its philosophy is being practiced its two-year effort involving 800 ex- them, local peoples’ and institutions’ par- Dr Haseeb Md Irfanullah is an independent
globally for decades, if not centuries. perts from 100 countries, IUCN pro- ticipation is very critical. consultant working on the environment,
We are troubled by many societal chal- posed this standard for designing and Global initiatives and processes, such climate change, and research systems. His
lenges, such as climate emergency, practising NbS. This standard has eight as the Global Commission on Adapta- Twitter handle is @hmirfanullah
biodiversity loss, and water and food criteria and 28 indicators (Figure 2). The
insecurity (Figure 1). When we protect criteria remind us what issues make an
our ecosystems, like wetlands, hills, NbS effective. Let me explain it with
or forests, restore the degraded ones, an example.
manage their resources sustainably, or Imagine a hilly catchment of a river
create new ecosystems, in such a way that got heavily degraded due to ram-
that they help us to tackle our societal pant tree cutting. As a result, we see
problems effectively and adaptively — high soil erosion, landslide, silted up
we practice NbS. rivers, much bigger floods, high human
The beauty of NbS is, while overcom- sufferings, asset loss, and infrastruc-
ing our problems by using nature, we ture destruction. Climate change is also
not only ensure our well-being but also making things worse. So, we want to
contribute to the benefits of biodiversi- restore the catchment with a plantation
ty and ecosystems. These dual benefits program — an NbS.
separate NbS from pure conservation Addressing one or more societal
actions (that only give biodiversity challenges is the first criterion of IUCN
benefits) and community development NbS Standard — here we want to ad-
actions (that only give socio-economic dress three: environmental degrada-
benefits to people from using natural tion, disaster risks, and climate change
resources). adaptation. To meet the second criteri-
NbS is an umbrella concept; it brings on, we need to estimate the scale of the
together many ecosystem-based in- problem, so that we can design an effec-
terventions, actions, and approaches. tive plantation program. We also need
From a climate change point of view, sis- to check if our plantation program will
ter approaches such as ecosystem-based increase biodiversity and improve eco-
adaptation (EbA), ecosystem-based system integrity (third criterion) and is
mitigation (EbM), and ecosystem-based economically feasible (fourth criterion). Figure 2: The eight criteria comprising the IUCN Global Standard for NbS. Source: IUCN Global
disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR) are all The fifth criterion addresses the social Standard for NbS (2020)
4 Saturday, January 23, 2021
Karail Slum Mohakhali SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN
Imagining a pristine Dhaka by
adopting NbS
Protecting, restoring and conserving the wetlands for enhancing urban resilience
n Tasfia Tasnim and Saleemul Huq ment, and pollution. nizing the importance of restoration and
O
Dhaka -- established on the bank of sustainable management of water-bod-
ver the past few years, news Buriganga River about 400 years ago, ies. The Dhaka Structure Plan (2016 –
items have been added on encircled by the four rivers Buriganga, 2035) suggests that the city would need
the list of things severely Turag, Balu and Tongi Khal -- city had to conserve its water retention area,
degrading the condition of the potential to grow like Venice, hav- canals and rivers and flood flow zones.
Dhaka city’s natural landscape. The ing networks of over 65 lakes and ca- Some other notable policy measures by
megacity housing almost 20 million nals crisscrossing the metropolis. But government include declaring the four
people is enduring high population we have destroyed the natural drainage surrounded rivers (Buriganga, Turag,
growth and rapid unplanned urbaniza- system by heading towards a wrong de- Balu and Shitalakhya) of Dhaka city as
tion. We are putting a lot of stress on velopment pathway. Hence, the ques- Ecologically Critical Area (ECA) in 2009
our water resources (lakes, rivers, ca- tion is, can we imagine a new Dhaka, to halt the rivers’ degrading water quali-
nals, wetlands, floodplains) by trying to which develops in an environmentally ty, forming National River Conservation
meet the increasing demand for a larger friendly and sustainable manner? Commission (NRCC) in 2013 to recover
group of population, discharging un- the water-bodies from illegal encroach-
treated waste from industries and mu- Lots of policies and planning with little ment, prioritizing the revitalization
nicipal sewage, disposing solid wastes, implementation of waterbodies in the Seventh Five
unplanned development and encroach- The Bangladesh government is recog- Year Plan.
Saturday, January 23, 2021
5
ban flooding and waterlogging. Thus, Through protecting or restoring
we can think about development in a water-bodies, and or blending green-
nature-friendly way, which should not grey infrastructures for water-resource
encourage destroying the natural wet- management, many countries have set
lands and floodplains. examples on how to utilise NbS for an
environment friendly development as
Missing puzzles in urban policy and well as natural resource management.
planning documents China’s ‘Sponge cities’ utilise a num-
The DAP is considering the revival and ber of green-solutions approaches with
Dhaka is now rapidly expanding eastward in an restoration of the wetlands in their pervious pavements and wetlands res-
unplanned manner, but the eastern part of the city first draft through identifying the wa- toration through recycling rainwater to
ter-bodies, and demarcating rivers, ca- improve the water availability in urban
still has wetlands and croplands nals, water bodies, water retention and neighbourhoods, while protecting three
catchment areas according to the mou- watersheds in New York City since 1990
za map. It also proposes an approach has been providing the largest unfil-
called “Urban Lifeline” which would tered water supply in New York City
design 566 kilometres of water-bodies since 1990, saving up to more than$300
and canals to enhance communication million. Therefore, can we reimagine
ly expanding eastward in an unplanned instead of only having them as drain- the future of Dhaka City by adopting
The Eighth Five Year Plan is also manner, but the eastern part of the city age channels which will regulate the NbS to protect, restore and conserve
aiming to ensure balance between the still has wetlands and croplands. How- microclimate, connect human and na- our urban wetlands to enhance our cit-
country’s economic development and ever, development of structures can be ture, and enrich biodiversity. However, ies resilience for disaster risk reduction
natural resource conservation, and observed in the floodplain zone in the there has been some criticism going and climate change adaptation? The an-
hence considering to include compo- name of protecting people from flood on around the upcoming DAP, because swer should be a resounding ‘yes.’ l
nents like recharging groundwater ta- or increasing agricultural production, of delays in the the process of finaliz-
bles and restoring the water-bodies. which is impacting the fishermen or ing the plan, proposing modification to Tasfia Tasnim is a Senior Research Associate at
The Investment Plan of the visionary farmers living adjacent to the flood- flood flow zones, not considering the ICCCAD, working on nature-based solutions,
Bangladesh Delta Plan (BDP100) also plains. This type of haphazard devel- “blue network” proposed in the Dha- livelihood resilience and climate finance.
proposes substantial investment up to opment is also impacting the fish bio- ka Structure Plan, not giving enough
2030 on rivers around Dhaka city along diversity on the floodplain ecosystem importance to conserve water-bodies, Dr Saleemul Huq is the Director of the
with other natural resources. Recently, as these areas act as the breeding and or not considering housing options for International Centre for Climate Change and
we are also hoping that the upcoming nutrition ground for the fisheries, mak- poor and low-income local communi- Development (ICCCAD).
Detailed Area Plan (DAP) 2016-35 will ing the fishing communities vulnerable ties, and so on. And this is the case for
transform Dhaka into a liveable city as with the loss of fish production. Thus, many urban development related pol-
it aims for building a resilient city along we can observe a shift in these commu- icies and planning documents, with a
with recovering the degraded ecosys- nities from their traditional occupation crying need to have critical evaluation
tem and conserving them. to other economic activities. of these documents by all stakeholders.
Despite all these policy measures and However, protecting those wetlands
efforts from the government, we have will help us not only environmentally, Acknowledging and implementing NbS
not been able to restore the water-bod- but also economically, by protecting us to envision a new Dhaka
ies and protect our ponds, canals, riv- from urban climate risks, like flooding A detailed analysis and evaluation in
ers and flood flow zones. But why? Be- during heavy rainfall. Let us see how. By policy design, guideline and monitoring
cause in all these years, we have only adopting NbS through conserving the would help bridge the gaps, apply best
been thinking about development first, remaining wetlands, flood flow zones local practices and promote NbS for pro- China’s ‘Sponge cities’
growing our economy and business, at along with floodplains; reclaiming the tection, conservation and restoration
the cost of destroying our nature. It is, already grabbed canals and water-bod- of water-bodies, and nature-friendly
utilise a number
however, possible to find solutions in ies; restoring degraded wetlands creat- development of Dhaka city. Therefore, of green-solutions
nature itself. ing water retention ponds will enhance what must be developed is a robust and
the ecosystem and enrich biodiversity evidence-based framework for the eco-
approaches with
Embracing Nature-based Solutions in these areas. Also, all these peri-urban nomic, social and environmental bene- pervious pavements
(NbS) through protecting urban water- areas are home to many fishermen and fits of NbS, which can be used by local,
bodies farmers, who are basically dependent regional and national level policymak-
and wetlands
In recent years, we have been talking on the nature-based livelihood options ers to enhance urban climate resilience restoration through
about an umbrella concept called Na- in these floodplains and wetlands. They for promoting inclusive urban regener-
ture-based Solutions (NbS) which cov- have their own indigenous practices ation. Our plans need to be adaptive,
recycling rainwater
ers a wide range of ecosystem-based to build their houses in the floodplain with the changing climate and chang- to improve the water
approaches and people-centric activ- lands and practice traditional agricul- ing ecosystems, to enhance the urban
ities, and addresses different societal ture and fishing. By protecting and ecosystem services. Now is the time to
availability in urban
challenges and providing biodiversity conserving these wetlands, it will help acknowledge NbS as one of the most neighbourhoods
benefits. In most cases, these solutions secure their rights over these areas, and prudent responses to the numerous
are cost-effective and easier to maintain prevent eviction from their homes and challenges posed by climate change.
than conventional infrastructure. Now, occupation, which also allows them to For the realization of liveable cities, we
let us see how adopting NbS can help have socio-economic rights and free- need to bring change in the mindset of
in enhancing urban resilience, disaster dom. In addition to all these benefits policymakers, decision-making bodies,
risk reduction and climate change ad- towards biodiversity and local peo- planners, engineers, architects, on the
aptation: ple, protection of these wetlands and ground implementers, businessmen,
As we all know, Dhaka is now rapid- floodplains will help dealing with ur- economists and citizens.
6 Saturday, January 23, 2021
A plinth built under Friendship project
Climate-induced displacement can
be prevented through NbS
Environmental shocks are already a leading source of forced displacement worldwide
having caused 25 million displacements globally in 2019 alone
n Kazi Amdadul Hoque and Towrin Zaman
D
uring one of my work travels, I had met Mintu sitting under the shade of a tree, at a juncture between Dhaka and
Chandra. When enquired about it, he shared about having been forced to migrate to Dhaka after losing his home in
Jamalpur to floods. He still visits his hometown every year in hopes of one day rebuilding his habitat there. Mintu
is among the thousands who were forced to migrate to the capital to start over after being displaced due to natural
disasters. Not only does the city get overburdened, but more often than not, the displaced people too, do not achieve what they
had set out for.
Saturday, January 23, 2021
7
desh acknowledged that by 2050, 1 in as to break the flow of water and slow
every 7 people in the country could be it down to prevent erosion. Normally
displaced due to climate change. The housing 25-30 displaced families, each
settlement of these environmental ref- of these plinths can accommodate Made from the soil
ugees will pose a serious problem for 100-150 families during adversities. of dredged river slits,
an already overpopulated Bangladesh Moreover, through easily raising cattle
(BCCSAP 2009). People from the north- sheds in these plinths, cattle can also
these plinths also work
ern and coastal areas are the most vul- be saved instead of being washed away as makeshift flood
nerable to the soaring risk of internal by floods as is usually the case. More-
displacement due to climate change. As over, the construction of these plinths
relief-shelters. They
a result of forced displacements, these creates jobs for the local people. A per- are constructed above
people usually encounter livelihood fect example of an eco-infrastructure projected flood levels
challenges and are consequently pro- and NbS to the displacement problem,
pelled to migrate to the major cities to these plinths last for about 15 years and and have oval shapes so
start over. This not only overburdens function as cluster villages, having been as to break the flow of
the cities but also more often than not implemented across 18 locations in the
results in failure for the displaced peo- northern region of the country.
water and slow it down
ple in achieving their goals. Needless to Nevertheless, these plinths are insuf- to prevent erosion
say, there is no winner in this scenario. ficient in solving another major effect
Climate change is evidently the ma- of displacement - the lack of food and
jor cause of the increasing frequency nutrition, particularly for the children
of disasters affecting Bangladesh in alongside pregnant and lactating wom-
recent years. Firstly, a global-warm- en, due to floods damaging their vege-
ing-induced rise in sea surface temper- table gardens, among other reasons. A
atures in the Bay of Bengal is causing possible solution for this was found to
tropical cyclones at a higher frequency. be the practice of growing vegetables
Furthermore, due to global warming, in hanging tubs. Food production is
a decrease in precipitation in the dry another challenge for flood-prone area
seasons causes more intense droughts residents. Only in 2020, floods recurred
in the Northwestern region, while in- five times in the coastal region of Bang-
creased rainfalls in monsoon lead to ladesh. The wary farmers waited for the
prolonged and intense floods in other first onset of the flood to recede before
regions. Friendship, a Bangladeshi So- planting their seedlings but a second
cial Purpose Organization (SPO) con- onset of flood caught them unaware
ducted a study in 2014 as part of its and destroyed all their newly planted
initiative called Community Initiated seedlings. Fortunately, the government
Disaster Risk Reduction (CIDRR) aiming provided them with preserved seeds
to strengthen locally-led adaptations to prevent food insecurity, although
and reduce the vulnerability of people it was feared that many of the farmers
from remote areas. The project which from the remote areas were deprived
was implemented in 53 communities in of this aid. To avoid further such loss,
9 sub-districts from northern districts Friendship collaborated with the gov-
of Gaibandha and Kurigram, and south- ernment and came up with a NbS in
ern districts Patuakhali, Barguna, and the form of floating seedbeds. It en-
FRIENDSHIP.NGO Satkhira of coastal Bangladesh, helped tailed preparing seedlings on a floating
gain an understanding of trends related raft made of bamboo or banana tree
to risk, displacement, and adaptation stems. These methods of seed preser-
Human displacement, forced or oth- solutions. It found that 56% of displace- vation and floating seedlings provide
erwise, is a climacteric consequence of ments in northern regions were due to nature-based-solutions to problems of
environmental degradation and was riverbank erosion while 6.6% were due food production caused by disasters
identified as the greatest impact of cli- to flooding, and 5.3% displacements and displacement.
mate change by the first Assessment in the southern regions were due to Based on how NbS helped provide
Report of the Intergovernmental Panel flooding. Later, a 2017 end-line study in eco-solutions to seemingly insurmount-
on Climate Change (IPCC). In fact, envi- the same areas projected an increased able challenges like climate-change-in-
ronmental shocks are already a leading displacement rate with 85% of the dis- duced displacement, it is proved that
source of forced displacement world- placements occurring because of river- even the biggest of challenges can be
wide having caused 25 million displace- bank erosion, 56% from flooding, and overcome, if only manpower trained
ments globally in 2019 only (HDR 2020) 3% due to cyclones. in green energy joined hands with the
with estimates suggesting a total of 1.2 As an aftermath of that study, Friend- community. We believe that the com-
billion people at risk of being displaced ship introduced a Nature-based Solu- bination of indigenous knowledge and be homeless again, and many yet, may
by 2050 (Kulp and Strauss, 2019). tion (NbS) called ‘Green Infrastructure’ the expertise of local level develop- find their way back. l
According to the Internal Displace- involving the construction of plinths or ment agencies would create an invalu-
ment Monitoring Centre (IDMC), Nat- raised platforms for accommodating the able synergy where nature along with Kazi Amdadul Hoque is working as Senior
ural disasters in Bangladesh triggered displaced people. Made from the soil of human civilization can be benefited Director-Strategic Planning and Head of Climate
new displacements of 4 million people dredged river slits, these plinths also in many ways. With processes like Eco Action, Friendship. hoqueka@gmail.com
in 2019 and 2.5 million people with- work as makeshift flood relief-shelters. Disaster Risk Reduction solutions under
in only the first half of 2020. A 2014 They are constructed above projected the wider umbrella of sustainable de- Towrin Zaman is working as Research
report by the government of Bangla- flood levels and have oval shapes so velopment, no Mintu will ever have to Associate at ICCCAD
8 Saturday, January 23, 2021
How environmental restoration and
refugee protection are connected
Water reservoir-2 in camp-4 established in 2019
Adopting a nature-based solution approach to rejuvenate degraded ecosystems of the
Ukhiya refugee camps
n Mokhlesur Rahman exclusion of the poor underpinned by the Ukhiya hill-forests, this stream
T
weak governance. Climate change also flows down through forests, cropland,
he Teknaf Peninsula of south- manifests extreme events like cyclones, settlements, growth centers and final-
eastern Bangladesh possesses droughts, high temperature, erratic ly merges with the Naf River on the
diverse ecosystems - mixed rains, flooding, erosion, landslides, southeastern part of the county border-
evergreen hill-forests, net- crop loss. Furthermore, accommodat- ing Myanmar. CNRS and UNHCR joint-
works of forest-fed hill streams provid- ing about a million Rohingya refugees ly designed the action plan adopting a
ing sources of freshwater, tidal river and in 2017-18 further exacerbated these nature-based solution (NbS) approach
the Bay of Bengal - supporting liveli- challenges. The refugees living in such aiming to build socio-ecological resil-
hoods of local communities, especially cramped camps have to face these chal- ience by creating an environment to en-
the poor. lenges too. able strengthened refugee protection.
However, living in this peninsular To address these problems, UNHCR
land also poses challenges such as over- launched a project aiming at restoring Madhur Chhara Restoration
use, encroachment, conversions of for- the 8km long-degraded Madhur-Chhara Participatory planning with host and
est and riparian ecosystems, declining stream basin in Kutupalong Mega Camp refugee communities prioritized urgent
natural resources, water pollution, and (KMC), Ukhiya in 2019. Originating from addressing of issues such as forest-cov-
Saturday, January 23, 2021
9
er loss, water pollution, and consequent revealed increased re-colonization of
diseases, water-scarcity of dry-season, wildlife biodiversity in stream basin
food insecurity. Accordingly, NbS in- restored sites compared to campsites
tervention packages were developed having no ecosystem restoration focus.
with the focus on four areas viz. i) 134% of higher wildlife diversity and a
stream restoration, ii) water pollution total of 76 wildlife species were record-
management, iii) stream-bank stabi- ed in the Kalam-Chhara restoration site
lization, and iv) regreening denuded in 2020, with only 34 species being re-
camp areas. Among NbS interventions corded in the other non-restoration To address these problems, UNHCR launched a
(reservoir creation, riparian vegeta- campsites. The restoration site not only project aiming at restoring the 8km long-degraded
tion) relates to ecosystem restoration witnessed increased numbers of spe-
(ER), some are (stream rehabilitation) cies of Amphibians (10) and mammals
Madhur-Chhara stream basin in Kutupalong Mega
ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) and (6), but it also had the most number of Camp (KMC), Ukhiya in 2019
some (stream bank stabilization) relate reptile species (15) when compared to
to ecosystem-based disaster risk reduc- other sites. These results give testimo-
tion (Eco-DRR). ny of the effectiveness of NbS approach
Water-related interventions: Include in rejuvenating degraded ecosystems,
stream widening, to increase carrying recolonizing biodiversity and increasing
capacity, creating water reservoirs to ecosystem services.
store water year-round (Figure 1) for After the Rohingyas initially settled
socio-ecological purposes. 4 water-res- in the hill-settlements with no prior to water pollution and scarcity. It leads water from unprotected dug wells for
ervoir and 1 slit-trap were built and 7 human settlements in 2017, they used to diarrhea, typhoid, and other skin household purposes. While access to
streams were rehabilitated over the pe- the water from Kalam-chara basin for diseases for the refugees too. (Akhter supplied-water mitigated their drink-
riod of 2019-2020. all purposes. Over-use of its water leads et al, 2020). They then had to rely on ing-water crisis, water pollution and en-
Water pollution management: Three
systems were piloted to reduce water
pollution. These systems included a
bacteria-based wastewater treatment
plant for treating undrinkable water to
use them for household and commer-
cial purposes; constructing wetlands
to make polluted stream-water cleaner,
and planting Kolaboti (This plant has
the ability to absorb /suck up excess pol-
lutants /organic nutrients from waste-
water)plants on streambeds to absorb
the pollutants from the wastewater.
Stream-bank stabilization: Green ap-
proach was adopted along with the re-
stored streams to protect and stabilize
banks by maintaining adequate slopes,
terracing, compacting, and planting vet-
ivers and other local grasses on banks
and slopes supported by bamboo poles.
Forest related actions: The re-green-
ing principle was applied to the entire
Madhur chhara basin through the ri-
parian, block, institutional, homestead,
and street plantations.
Interim results
Recently conducted third-party plant-
ing assessment reports revealed 80-
90% survival of planted trees in 2019
within KMC areas bank protection and
greening reduced flooding and ero-
sion damages by increasing the carry-
ing capacity of rain-based flood water,
availing surface-water for longer peri-
ods than before (Figure 2). Wastewater
treatment facilities and water reservoirs
helped to reduce water-pollution and
ensure year-round water security for
the usage of the residents for various
purposes. They also helped wildlife by
enabling maintenance of groundwater
aquifer levels Figure 2: Positive changes of stream restoration and bank greening (camp-4). The images show the original condition and the aftermath of
The biodiversity monitoring reports the restoration and greening initiative. The image on the left was taken in 2019 and the image on the right was take a year later in 2020
10 Saturday, January 23, 2021
FIGURE 3: RIPARIAN ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION AND SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL AND
REFUGEE PROTECTION OUTCOMES
Refugee protection Refugees feel better protected. Ambient air quality, improved microclimate within camp areas
outcomes Improved livelihood and reduced disaster risks Greater water security and dietary diversity
Water reservoirs, increased Cleaner water – No bad Green landscapes, wild-
Aesthetics, natural and Green bank, walkways,
stream-water flows, fishing odor and mosquito life, low dust, soothing
mental peace fruits, vegetables, trees
opportunities infestation air, shelter from the sun
Microclimate regulation;
Reduced water-borne Micro-climate regula-
CC and DRR Carbon sink, crop diversity / House and soil protection,
diseases; Stream bottom tion, carbon sink, Re-
(adaptation and mitiga- farming systems; Reduced land fertility, stream pro-
ecology;, reduced deg- duced drought effects;
tion) flooding, landslides, and ductivity, water availability
radation fewer floods
drought effects,
Plant-based food
Food and livelihood Food security, nutrition and Fish and nutrition, better Conservation agriculture,
diverse systems, liveli-
security dietary diversity health soil-protection
hoods
Fisheries & aquatic diversi- Fish and Aquatic biodi- Grass & bush-based diver- Forest and wildlife
Biodiversity
ty; Agricultural diversity versity sity diversity
Green cover in denuded
Outputs of actions Water availability Cleaner water Green & stable stream bank
land
Water security (stream / Bank protection and Planting/ Forest resto-
NbS Actions Wastewater treatment
reservoir restoration) greening ration
stream-water now being used for house- camps with low-lying areas to retain
hold purposes. Unlike before, refugees year-round water and increasing water
now acknowledge that the presence of security.
varieties of aquatic insects, frogs, and Riparian ecosystem restoration also
snakes in streams are indicators of wa- gives heat-protection through produc-
ter quality improvement (biological in- ing cool air. Furthermore, re-greening,
dicators). stream restoration and reservoir crea-
Regarding water security and food tion collectively contributed to climate
production, Najir Ahmed, Refugee Ma- mitigation actions by storing atmos-
jhi of camp 4 said: pheric carbons. (Figure 3).
“We get rice, pulses, oil, eggs as food
134% of higher wildlife diversity and a total of 76 assistance but not fish, meat, vegetables NbS as a way forward
wildlife species were recorded in the Kalam-Chhara nor we get cash assistance - many refu- The NbS interventions piloted in refu-
gees now cultivate vegetables in availa- gee camps demonstrated positive so-
restoration site in 2020 ble land adjacent their homes and open cial-ecological outcomes in terms of
spaces in the basin using water from increased water and food security, re-
streams most of which they consume duced climate-disaster risks, facilitating
and distribute among fellow refugees re-colonized biodiversity in restored
and rest sale for cash.” sites. Interim observations confirm res-
Yasin, a refugee in Camp-4/Block-B, toration schemes providing services for
earned Tk5,900 from selling his self-cul- provisioning (food, water), regulating
tivated vegetables in 2020. Stream res- (carbon sink), cultural (aesthetics) ,and
toration also has aesthetic values creat- supporting (wildlife habitats).
ing a soothing environment and leading It is now urgent to replicate the ap-
to improved mental health and positive proach in other locations. UNHCR
vironmental degradation still continued thinking. Najir Ahmed said: seems keen to expand the approach
to pose problems. Najir Majhi, a refugee “When in crisis, we are mentally dis- and a recent partnership between SMEP
from camp 4 said: turbed and often physically torture our - engineering unit (formed by WFP-UN-
“Camp houses are at the risk of col- wives. We got wages from working in HCR-IOM) at Cox’s Bazar has recently
lapse from monsoon floods due to restoration and planting activities. We with CNRS to integrate NbS in engineer-
hill-cutting and forest clearing which produce vegetables using stream wa- ing schemes, is an indication of adop-
lead to soil and bank erosion and re- ter and earn cash and now we live in a tion of NbS at wider refugee-impacted
duced carrying capacity of streams.” better physical environment leading landscapes in Cox’s Bazar. l
The refugees reflected on water to a better mental condition keeping us
security issues by acknowledging an from abusing our wives.” Dr Mokhlesur Rahman is the Executive
increase of water quality and availabil- The water reservoirs were appre- Director at the Center for Natural Resource
ity due to ecosystem restoration with ciated by refugees for supplying the Studies (CNRS)Saturday, January 23, 2021
11
Trap that carbon
Mangroves in the south-western coastal Bangladesh
The REDD+ initiative as a Nature-based Solution can facilitate powerful climate
change mitigation
n Joy Bhowmik vulnerability. Despite our dependence atmosphere and a consequent increase
O
on forests, humans are still widely al- in global climate change.
ver the past four decades, lowing deforestation and forest deg- Forest degradation in develop-
forests have played an inte- radation. Deforestation occurs due to ing countries accounts for 25% of
gral role in not only combat- forest destruction for accommodating total emissions from deforestation
ing climate change but also non-forest uses such as agriculture and and forest degradation. Annually 2.2
in adapting to it. Forests absorb about road construction. Forests face deg- billion hectares of forest degrada-
one-quarter of the carbon emitted by radation when forest ecosystems lose tion causes 2.1 billion tons of carbon
human activities such as the burning their capacity to provide important emission with 53% of it being derived
of fossil fuels and also provide diverse goods and services to people and na- from timber harvest, 30% from wood
ecosystem services that contribute to ture. These result in a higher concentra- fuel harvest and 17% from forest fire
human well-being and reducing social tion of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) in our (Pearson et al, 2017).
Tropical deforestation accounts for
about 20% of anthropogenic carbon emis-
sions equivalent to annual burning of
fossil fuels burned in the USA, and higher
than emission by the world’s transporta-
tion sector (Gullison, 2007). Deforesta-
tion and forest degradation is also a com-
mon phenomenon in Bangladesh where
Tropical deforestation accounts for about 20% of anthropogenic carbon 17% of the landmass is designated as for-
emissions equivalent to annual burning of fossil fuels burned in the USA, and est but the actual tree-cover is estimated
at around 10% (Reza and Hasan, 2019).
higher than emission by the world’s transportation sector The forests are mainly decreasing due to
illegal logging, higher population growth,
poverty, demand for fuel wood, fodder
and timber, shortage of cultivable land,
industrialization, development interven-
tions, and natural disasters.12 Saturday, January 23, 2021
nance, helps carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere. It assists in not only cli-
mate mitigation but also in promoting
climate adaptation and boosting climate
resilience and coastline-protection from
storm-surges and sea-level rise through
restoration of wetlands and mangroves.
Additionally, emission reductions
by stopping deforestation is a low-cost
solution with it costing less than $100 a
year to reduce a ton of carbon dioxide
emissions. In this context, reforesta-
tion, sustainable forest management,
improved plantations, and alternatives
to wood fuel are some potential Na-
ture based Solutions (NbS) for climate
change mitigation at forests under the
REDD+ initiative. In fact, 42 percent of
the total emissions reductions could
be achieved from reforestation by re-
ducing pasture lands, and reforesting
all grazing land in forested eco-regions
(Minnemeyer et al, 2017).
Nearly 251.8 million megagrams of
Wetland reforestation at Bangladesh’s south-eastern wetland carbon are stored in the three forest
ecosystems of Bangladesh. (Mukul et al,
2014). To address this, Bangladesh start-
Deforestation and forest degrada- reduction in the atmosphere. So, forests ed preparing a mechanism to reduce de-
tion declines the soil fertility, reduces are a pre-eminent Nature-based Solu- forestation and forest degradation for
the amount of fresh water sources and tions (Nbs) to the climate emergency. maintaining its carbon stock under UN-
emits carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. If a country takes a carbon reduction FCCC since 2011 and officially launched
So, it is crucial to take necessary actions initiative under the REDD+ framework, the UN-REDD national program in 2016.
to reduce the negative impacts due to it needs to have the following elements The national program established a
deforestation and forest degradation. In - Forest Reference Emission Level National Forest Monitoring Systems
this context, the United Nations Frame- (FREL), National Forest Monitoring Sys- (NFMS) for Measurement, Reporting
work Convention on Climate Change tems (NFMS), national strategies/action and Verification (MRV) to register re-
(UNFCCC) launched an initiative called plans, and Safeguards Information Sys- duction of GHG emission or enhance-
‘Reducing Emissions from Deforesta- tem (SIS). ment of carbon stock over time, a Forest
The United Nations tion and Degradation’ (REDD) at the 11th The FREL serves as a baseline for Reference Emission level (FREL), and a
Framework Convention sessions of the Conference of Parties in measuring the success of the program national REDD+ strategy.
2005 to guide activities in the forest in reducing and removing greenhouse In spite of all these actions, the real
on Climate Change sector that reduces emissions from de- gas emissions in CO2-equivalents (CO2e) challenge against successful REDD+
(UNFCCC) launched forestation and forest degradation. amount per year. Secondly, NFMS man- program implementation in Bangla-
Eventually, the addition of the role of ages the program information and its desh lies in finding out the nature and
an initiative called conservation, sustainable management reporting which requires following the degree of forest dependence of the local
‘Reducing Emissions of forests and enhancement of forest guidance of IPCC and covers emissions peoples living in the forests and deter-
from Deforestation and carbon stocks in developing countries and removals of greenhouse gases result- mining the tradeoffs between forest use
modified the initiative to REDD+, which ing from Land Use, Land-Use Change and and REDD+.
Degradation’ (REDD) at is commonly referred to the Warsaw Forestry activities (LULUCF). Adding to it are failure to build a
the 11th sessions of the Framework for REDD+ (WFR). It was Thirdly, National Action Plans focus strong forest governance structure and
adopted at COP 19 in Warsaw, December on drivers of deforestation and for- institutional linkages, lack of bottom-up
Conference of Parties in 2013 with its rulebook finalized in 2015. est degradation such as illegal felling, approaches and limited participation
2005 to guide activities It is also recognized in Article 5 of fuel wood collection, agricultural ex- of relevant stakeholders - particularly
the Paris Agreement where parties are pansion, encroachment and poor gov- women in addition to local and indige-
in the forest sector that encouraged to implement REDD+ activ- ernance. Finally, SIS indicates a list of nous communities. Bangladesh needs to
reduces emissions from ities. as The REDD+ framework is spe- safeguards such as respect for knowl- implement strategies addressing these
deforestation and forest cially designed for removing carbon di- edge and rights of indigenous people, shortcomings and prioritize plantation
oxide from the atmosphere through the relevant stakeholders-participation, and collaborative conservation impacts
degradation build-up of biomass, and making forest and consistency in natural forest con- for forest-based climate change mitiga-
lands a sink of greenhouse gases. To servation and biological diversity that tion as REDD+ program policies. l
sum up, REDD+ activities include car- countries need to address, promote and
bon emission reduction from deforesta- support in order to guarantee the cor- Joy Bhowmik is working in the Center for
tion and degradation, conserve forests, rect and lasting results from the REDD+ Sustainable Development as a Lecturer-cum-
sustainably manage forests and en- mechanism. Research Associate. His research interest lies
hance forest carbon stocks. If deforest- Replanting in degraded, deforested, in Disaster Risk Reduction, Climate Change
ation is stopped and degraded forests and newly accreted lands or regenera- Adaptation and Sustainable Development.
are restored, they can accelerate carbon tion of forests through proper mainte- Can be reached at joy.bhowmik@ulab.edu.bdSaturday, January 23, 2021
13
How science can align with indeginous
knowledge to forecast weather
Not all old ways of predicting the weather are obsolete, and integrating some of them in
nature-based disaster management can be very beneficial
n Savio Rousseau Rozario, ans tried to predict short term weather
changes based on the appearance of
cultivate crops accordingly.
Moreover, in ‘Meteorologica’, Greek
Mahmuda Akter, and Ali
clouds and optical phenomena such as philosopher Aristotle mentioned the
F
Mohammad Rezaie
haloes. The Chinese astronomers devel- occurrences of various natural phe-
rom ancient Greek to medieval oped a calendar observing the changes nomena and made remarkable obser-
India, from Aristotle to Kho- in nature, which segregated a year into vations of weather. However, many of
na, the application of weather festivals, each representing different his ideas were overthrown around the
forecasting involved nature; types of weather around 300 BC. 17th century during the Renaissance
through observing celestial objects, In India, during the early 9th to 12th when it became evident that specu-
animal behaviours, floral response to century AD astrologer Khona’s rhythmic lations of the natural theories were
changing atmosphere and other natural words for weather forecasting based inadequate to understand and pre-
entities over time. on natural entities became prominent dict the changing atmosphere more
Early civilizations observed nature and well-practiced among the farmers. accurately, leading to the necessity of
closely, and the recurrence of astrolog- One of her sayings predicted rainfall innovating sophisticated instruments
ical and meteorological events helped over the year if the wind flows from the to measure the properties of atmos-
them to monitor seasonal changes in North-Eastern direction at the begin- phere such as moisture, temperature,
weather. Around 650 BC, the Babyloni- ning of the year, helping the farmers to and pressure.
PIXABAY14 Saturday, January 23, 2021
sustainable living of millions of people forecasting. For example: In Australia,
around the world, are yet to be revealed the government runs the Indigenous
and recognized. Weather Knowledge Website Project;
In this regard, scientific and indige- the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysi-
nous knowledge can go hand in hand, cal and Astronomical Services Adminis-
where scientific explanation can en- tration (PAGASA), a government agency
hance the indigenous practices to be in the Philippines, has also recognized
mainstreamed and to be recognized. the traditional weather forecasting
Earlier this year, an indigenous organ- knowledge.
ization in western Alaska named ‘Ka- Many countries ignore indigenous
werak’ released a call for the indigeni- practices and knowledge and these
zation of science, which included the systems and traditions are now on the
The UN General Assembly declared 2021-2030 sovereignty of indigenous knowledge. verge of extinction. Thus, it is crucial to
Besides, the UN General Assembly de- advocate for these practices as well as
as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, clared 2021-2030 as the UN Decade on capacitating the indigenous communi-
emphasizing a roadmap for renewed global action by Ecosystem Restoration, emphasizing a ties to ensure the sustainable preserva-
roadmap for renewed global action by tion of their knowledge.
both Indigenous knowledge and modern science both Indigenous knowledge and mod- Finally, actors such as government
ern science, which would be financially and non-government entities, academ-
and ecologically beneficial. ia and think tanks can contribute in
Indigenous knowledge and practices discovering these forecasting practic-
contribute to the sustainable use of nat- es, evaluate their efficacy and integrate
ural resources. Currently in Bangladesh, them for nature based disaster manage-
more than 45 indigenous communities ment practices. l
exist who live by and with nature for
centuries. These communities depend Savio Rousseau Rozario is currently
on nature and developed practices to working at the International Centre
predict the weather for their survival, for Climate Change and Development
which are yet to be recognized. For in- (ICCCAD) as a Junior Research Officer.
Nowadays, advanced technology and remaining close during the day ahead of stance, some indigenous communities He holds a great interest in disaster risk
instruments help us observe and pre- the rain. Similarly, birds, bees and oth- in Chittagong Hill Tracts believe that reduction and management practices in terms
dict the weather system more precisely. er flying insects are observed to fly low ants climb up high during a hailstorm of climate change impact. He can be reached
However, nature dependent weather and head home right before foul weath- and cross roads prior to a cyclone, while at savio.rozario@icccad.org.
forecasting practices still prevail and er as low pressure and dam condition they do both in case of heavy rainfall (Ir-
to some extent are considered to be makes their aviation uncomfortable. fanullah & Motaleb, 2011). Mahmuda Akter is currently working as a
effective. For instance, many sailors in A recent study (Zeng, 2016) also Recognition, preservation, and dis- Research Officer at the International Centre
the deep sea yet navigate depending on found that bees spent more time work- semination of these traditional knowl- for Climate Change and Development
their past observation which relates to ing outside their respective hives 24 edge can enhance harmony between (ICCCAD).
nature based weather forecasting like hours before it rained than on a day nature and humans, and ensure sus-
‘Red sky at night, sailors delight. In the preceding clear skies. The deer and elks tainability across the world. Many local Dr Ali Mohammad Rezaie is currently
morning, sailors take warning’ where a are also found to make their way down and national governments, NGOs, aca- working as the Research Coordinator of the
red sky refers to an increase of moisture from their mountain homes several demics and experts are working to pre- International Centre for Climate Change and
in the air, indicating potential rainfall. days before a rainstorm. serve indigenous knowledge of weather Development (ICCCAD).
If it is at sunset, it generally means the All these natural entities help the in-
storm is moving away and if seen in the digenous and local communities to pre-
morning, the storm tends to head in. dict the weather, and they develop cer-
Similarly, ‘Circle around the moon, rain tain techniques to forecast the weather
or snow soon’ refers to a predicted rain- by involving nature to make important
fall within a couple of days as the haze decisions that enable them to address
around the moon is caused by the air certain challenges, most important-
moisture. ly climate-induced extreme weather
Just like the sailors, indigenous com- variations. These practices of weath-
munities in different parts of the world, er forecasting flow from generation to
such as African pastoral communities, generation throughout their tradition-
predict weather through observing the al knowledge and practices, helping to
natural entities, as they share a deep protect their landscapes from potential Some indigenous communities in Chittagong Hill
bonding with nature. While these com- natural disasters, for better agricultural Tracts believe that ants climb up high during a
munities do not have access to modern yield and boost their economy.
equipment, they heavily rely on nature Scientists have been acknowledging
hailstorm and cross roads prior to a cyclone, while
to predict changing weather and sea- and embracing indigenous wisdom and they do both in case of heavy rainfall
sons over time for a better harvest and traditional knowledge for many years
perform their rituals. to ensure a better world, as indigenous
Scientific studies show that indig- knowledge has succeeded in conserving
enous communities tend to predict and restoring biodiversity in different
weather based on animal and floral be- continents and climate zones. Howev-
haviour as well. Some of their obser- er, many of these rich indigenous and
vations include daisies and pine cones traditional knowledge that ensuresSaturday, January 23, 2021
15
PIXABAY
The perks of forming coalition and financial
mechanisms in mitigation and adaptation
Coalition formation n Afsara Binte Mirza, Anika Binte in natural lands and its gaining traction The future coalition can also empha-
and financial Razzaque, and Ali Mohammad in global climate change policy and ad-
vocacy discourse. Thus, It is crucial to
size research, to consolidate disaggre-
gated data on indigenous peoples and
I
mechanisms
Rezaie
acknowledge the synergy between IP- gather evidence-based approaches of
driving the ndigenous people and local com-
munities (IPLCs) share a strong
LCs traditional knowledge, conserva-
tion efforts and NbS to tackle climate
IPLC-led NbS approaches. Moreover,
the coalition can advocate for inclusive
uptake of Nature- bond with their landscapes and change. policy-making related to climate change
based Solutions seascapes. At least a quarter of the
global land area is owned and sustaina-
This can be the impetus to form a
coalition to enhance the rights of indig-
and the environment.
Coalitions can assist to merge the
and increasing bly managed by indigenous peoples. IP- enous peoples to implement NbS per- resources and skills of diverse actors
recognition of LCs conservation efforts can, thus, play
a significant role in climate change miti-
sistently for halting climate change. The
coalition can include a diverse range of
and leverage their comparative advan-
tages. For instance, the current global
indigenous peoples gation. They also apply their traditional actors such as non-governmental organ- coalition for NbS; NBS Manifesto com-
and local knowledge to adapt to change izations (NGOs), international non-gov- prises more than 70 governments, the
in climate and apply nature-based solu- ernmental organizations (INGOs), private sector, civil society, and interna-
tions (NbS) to ensure their livelihood private sectors, and government. The tional organizations supplemented by
and protect their communities from potential coalitions can focus on the nearly 200 best practices from around
natural disasters. capacity building of indigenous peoples the world (UNEP, 2020). Similarly, the
However, indigenous peoples’ rights, to enhance their rights, participation, Rights and Resource Initiative (RRI) is
governance, and roles in tackling cli- and governance. This will aid to influ- a global Coalition of more than 150 or-
mate change are being undermined. ence action-oriented capacity-build- ganizations devoted to improving the
The recent IUCN guideline for NbS pro- ing through knowledge generation by forestland and resource rights of Indig-
motes inclusive, transparent, and hav- incorporating indigenous traditional enous Peoples, local communities, and
ing an empowering governance process and local knowledge for preservation. rural women.You can also read
