Ecosystem Based Adaptation& Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Course

Disasters have multiple impacts e.g., losses of lives, devastating impacts on infrastructure, damage to ecosystems and undermining development. On top of this, climate change is expected to aggravate existing disaster risks in many regions of the world. There is a need for increased awareness amongst practitioners, policymakers and researchers on the latest advances in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA).
The term “Ecosystem-based Adaptation” (EbA) refers to the use of natural systems as a way to buffer the worst impacts of climate change, maintain the resilience of natural ecosystems, their ecosystem services and the species that support them, and help people and communities adapt to changing conditions. Ecosystem-based Adaptation is an important and often-overlooked complement to other modes of adaptation. Ecosystem-based Adaptation also refers to conservation actions that protect people from the impacts of climate change. The combination climate change and market forces bring uncertainty and risk to many communities across the world – especially those who rely heavily on the availability of local resources and infrastructure. When disaster strikes, a stable, empowered community will respond with resilience and recover quickly. For this reason, Disaster Risk Reduction
(DRR) programs are now essential priorities of sustainable development. An understanding of linkages between environment and disasters are especially necessary to integrate Disaster Risk Reduction into development planning as degraded environments can exacerbate disasters and disasters can aggravate environmental degradation. The new world order entails a shift in focus away from conventional fire-fighting approach to disaster management towards community-based risk reduction and preparedness and management that helps and capacitates communities to prevent, mitigate and cope with disasters effectively.
Expected Training Outcomes
 Define basic concepts of disasters, Disaster Risk Reduction, Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience.
 Recognize key linkages between ecosystems, Disaster Risk Reduction, Climate Change Adaptation
 Recognize the linkages and overlaps between ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction and ecosystem-based adaptation.
 Identify various ecosystem-based tools in reducing disaster risk and Climate Change Adaptation.
 Identify key international agreements, organizations and initiatives related to Disaster Risk Reduction, and Climate Change Adaptation.
 Apply concepts and tools of Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR) and Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA).
 Evaluate costs and benefits of different type of measures for reducing disaster risks.
 Design your own ecosystem-based project for increasing resilience and reducing climate risks.
 Understand the links between disasters, Climate Change Adaptation and ecosystems through real life
examples of Eco-DRR from around the globe and how Eco-DRR is practiced.
 Understand differences and similarities between Eco-DRR and EbA.
 Learn more about ecosystems and spatial tools for Disaster Risk Reduction and risk assessments
 Learn about different tools for managing Eco-DRR e.g., community-based tools, ecological engineering,
economic valuation as well as integrated approaches, such as integrated water resources management.
 Understand more about the concept of resilience, differences between passive and transformative
resilience and how it can be put into practice.
 Gain practical knowledge about how to develop an Eco-DRR project.
 Creating linkages to various other components of the projects and existing government approaches.
 Be familiar with the possible strategies which help in communities to prevent, adapt and mitigate to
disaster and risks, community participation and strengthening and sustainability at village level.
 Information gained on capacity building strategies for the village level communities and helping them
understand the DRR and possible adaptation strategies.
Broad Training Modules
 Disasters and Ecosystems
 Resilience in a Changing Climate
 Introduction to disasters, risk reduction and climate change
 Linking disasters, climate change and ecosystems
 Links between disasters, Disaster Risk Reduction, adaptation and key international actors
 Principles and challenges of ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR) and adaptation (EbA)
 Disaster management, resilience and ecosystems
 Ecosystem management contributions pre- and post-disasters
 Managing resilience and transformation
 Linkages between Eco-DRR and EbA
 Putting Ecosystem-based adaptation into practice
 Ecosystem-based tools for Disaster Risk Reduction
 Incorporating ecosystems in risk assessments
 Ecosystems and spatial tools for risk reduction
 Most common Eco-DRR tools
 Principles of spatial planning and community-based tools for Eco-DRR
 Ecological engineering for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation
 Economics, valuation and policy issues
 Economic tools for Eco-DRR
 Principles of mainstreaming ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction into national policies, strategies, plans and projects
 Resilience and transformation
 Sustainable land and water management tools for Eco-DRR
 Principles of mainstreaming ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction into national policies, strategies, plans and projects
 Approaches for operationalizing resilience
 Ecosystem and biodiversity in relation to CCA and DRR
 Integrating DRR into culture
Way forward After the Training
Participants will develop a work plan through the help of facilitators that stipulates application of skills acquired in improving their organizations. ASPM will monitor implementation progress after the training.
Training Evaluation:
Participants will undertake a simple assessment before the training to gauge knowledge and skills acquired and another assessment will be done after the training in-order to demonstrate knowledge gained through the training.