Nature-Based Solutions Inventory for Zambia
This inventory showcases the variety of nature-based solutions (NbS) projects that have been completed recently or are currently under implementation in Zambia. It highlights the varied responses across the country to the climate and biodiversity crises, including efforts to address the increasing risks and vulnerabilities brought about by a changing climate.
Key Findings
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To provide economic benefits and environmental gains, many of the initiatives integrate NbS with the development of livelihoods, such as beekeeping, alternatives to firewood, and sustainable harvesting of non-timber forest products.
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To keep community-driven conservation at the heart of implementation, the interventions are deeply embedded in participatory governance, Traditional Knowledge systems, and nature-based livelihood strategies.
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The NbS projects in Zambia integrate capacity building and policy to ensure long-term sustainability and alignment with national frameworks.
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Many of the projects prioritize gender-responsive approaches, actively engaging women, young people, and marginalized groups to build inclusive adaptation mechanisms.
The economy and citizens’ livelihoods in Zambia are highly dependent on the country’s natural resources. Agriculture, for example, accounts for approximately 3.4% of the GDP and provides employment for about 70% of the population. The country's forests and fisheries are estimated to contribute about 4.7% and 3.3% of its GDP, respectively, while its 20 national parks, 36 game management areas, and 490 forest reserves play a crucial role in water regulation, food security, and sustaining local economies.
This dependency makes the country and its people highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and underscores the need for mainstreaming NbS, and ecosystem-based adaptation strategies in particular, into national policies to ensure that actions to adapt to the impacts of climate change are planned for and that the country’s ecosystems continue to be healthy and provide for communities. This is especially relevant because Zambia’s country development strategies highlight increasing temperature, erratic rainfall, droughts, and floods as threats to its economic growth and food security, with projections pointing to worsening climatic conditions.
The inventory aims to showcase the variety of NbS projects that have been completed recently or are currently under implementation in Zambia. It highlights the varied responses across the country to the climate and biodiversity crises, including efforts to address the increasing risks and vulnerabilities brought about by a changing climate. The inventory also aims to help stakeholders understand the NbS implementation landscape in Zambia, pinpoint existing gaps, potential synergies, and collaboration opportunities, and avoid duplication.
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