A challenge for development or challenging development : ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change in the Hindu Kush Himalayas

Abstract: Mountains provide a variety of ecosystem services, such as drinking water, which sustains not only mountain communities but also people living further downstream. While climate change threatens most ecosystems, its negative impacts are up to three times greater in high altitudes. As well as changing the water cycle this further accelerates climate change. Although they contribute comparably little to climate change, developing countries are most vulnerable to its negative impacts and in need of adaptation. Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) to climate change is promising due to its low implementation costs, climate robustness and sustainability. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the suitability of mainstreaming EbA into current development practices. Thus, this paper researches the success factors and challenges of EbA with a specific focus on the role of participation. Subsequently, the research findings are analysed for their suitability with the current development paradigm. The paper uses a triangulation of research methods, including a policy and literature review, interviews with project facilitators, and field observation. The results of the field research, studying an EbA project in the mid-hills of Nepal, show that EbA has numerous success factors but also poses challenges. Connecting EbA measures to livelihood improvement and providing immediate economic benefits was the main success factor as well as challenge, followed by the need to provide community trainings and to reach a common understanding of the approach. A key challenge is that EbA requires a cross-regional approach as political boundaries differ from ecosystem boundaries. Furthermore, EbA requires community participation, considering the five to 10 year period required for results to show in contrast to the mostly shorter project periods. While EbA scholars aim to mainstream the approach, current development practices and EbA have shown to mismatch on temporal and spatial scales, and to conflict on the requirement for participation. The inherent uncertainty in climate change predictions adds complexity to mainstreaming the approach. Therefore, this thesis suggests there is a need for a shift in perspective towards a view of development that encourages individual capabilities to adapt to climate change. Sen’s capabilities approach has been applied to illustrate that an alternative perspective on development work could maximize the potential of EbA; freeing the approach from constantly justifying its effectiveness in terms of economic growth and allowing development to be as dynamic as required by the changing environment.