Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation

About MuAN

MuAN is the umbrella organization representing all the municipalities of Nepal. MuAN represents all 293 member municipalities' collective interests to the central government and the international community. As a key player in urban and local development, MuAN promotes good governance and sustainable development by advocating and lobbying for policy reforms, providing technical and advisory assistance, mobilizing local resources, building awareness, and sharing information among its member municipalities. One of the main goals of MuAN is to develop the capacities of its member municipalities. The organization has been continuously working to enhance the capacity of municipal staff and elected officials in support of urban planning and in improving service delivery. Through this training, MuAN aims to enhance the knowledge, skills, and competencies of municipal staff and elected officials, particularly women, to improve their performances in gender-sensitive and inclusive urban planning, environmental management, disaster risk management, and climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation

Nepal is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change impacts, although its contribution to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is minimal. In Nepal, extreme rainfall and rapid snow-and-ice melt in the mountains would trigger water-related hazards, such as flash floods, soil erosion, and landslides. These, in turn, would impact critical sectors, such as agriculture (e.g. increased food insecurity) and water resources (e.g. reduced water supply). As such, strengthening individual (i.e. staff), organizational (i.e. local governments), and network (i.e. international cooperation) capacities in Nepal is very crucial. Overall, these can increase the societal capacity to adapt to climate change.

Nature-Based Solutions as an Innovative Approach

In Nepal, most of the plans, projects and policies for climate change adaptation and mitigation usually highlight technical or engineering solutions. For this training, MUAN wants to understand and learn more about nature-based solutions (NBS), which is a new multidisciplinary planning approach to climate resilience. NBS are solutions that are inspired by, continuously supported by, and using nature to address multiple societal challenges, e.g. climate change adaptation and mitigation, food security, and water in a resource-efficient manner. Unfortunately, MuAn doesn’t have much knowledge on NBS in adapting and mitigating climate risks. The TMT would contribute to building the capacities of municipality staff in incorporating NBS in its climate action plans.

Impact of the training

The TMT can help expand the knowledge, skills, and competencies of participants and would offer the municipalities they are working for a new paradigm in climate change adaptation and mitigation solutions. NBS are new and underutilized concepts in addressing climate change issues. The municipalities, in developing their local action plans, can learn the importance of NBS in achieving urban resilience as well as addressing other local development agendas considering the multiple social, economic, and environmental benefits that NBS bring. The municipalities can also learn how to build urban resilience while engaging in gender-sensitive planning and inclusive governance integrated into NBS-based climate change adaptation.

Learning objectives

At the end of the training, the participants were able to achieve the following:

1. Understand and define what NBS are and critically reflect on the application of these solutions, particularly in relation to climate change adaptation and mitigation, food security, and water;

2. Learn and apply practical tools and methodologies for assessing the potential of NBS in climate change adaptation and mitigation;

•  Vulnerability assessments
• GHG emissions accounting
• Prioritization of climate change actions
• Integration of gender sensitivity and inclusivity goals into NBS-based climate change adaptation.

3. Apply inclusive and gender-sensitive action planning with local stakeholders;

• Assess climate change vulnerabilities at the community and city levels;
• Identify, assess, and prioritize NBS for climate change adaptation and mitigation;
• Ensure that NBS for climate change adaptation and mitigation are designed in an inclusive way considering the intersecting forms of vulnerabilities, i.e. through incorporating gender equality goals.
• Promote gender equality and Increase the representation of women in decision-making regarding climate change and adaptation.

4. Communicate and present NBS-inspired climate change action plans, including:

• Proposed financing and governance models;
• Opportunities for mainstreaming into local development plans
• Monitoring and evaluation mechanisms

5. Evaluate the potential of NBS for climate change adaptation and mitigation in Nepalese municipalities

Take a glimpse at TMT Nepal