Links between Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation and Development in Land Policy and Ecosystem Restoration Projects: Lessons from South Africa

Abstract

Links between climate change adaptation, mitigation and development co-benefits in land policy and ecosystem restoration projects are hampered by limited understanding of how multi-faceted policy, institutions and projects interact. This paper explores perceptions of co-benefits produced by two community-level projects that pursue ecosystem restoration in South Africa. It develops a new analytical framework to assess the enabling and constraining factors in delivering triple wins for adaptation, mitigation and development. The aim is to investigate the potential for integrating community perspectives into policy and project development and implementation. Data collected through mixed-methods (policy analysis, semi-structured interviews, participatory site visits and focus groups) are analysed using thematic analysis. We find that while the projects investigated have potential to deliver triple wins, siloed approaches presently hinder effective implementation. In particular, project focus on job creation hampers the achievement of longer-term mitigation and adaptation benefits. Operational flexibility, long-term goals, multi-sectoral cooperation and enabling frameworks are imperative to the achievement of triple wins. Findings provide valuable lessons that can be applied across sub-Saharan Africa towards achieving triple wins in climate and development policy and practice, especially those developed with job creation and ecological restoration aims.

Connecting climate action with other Sustainable Development Goals

“…This evidence indicates how impacts of climate change will make some development targets harder to achieve -for example the impacts of climate change on agricultural production which could set back efforts to reduce poverty and hunger 3,4 . Actions taken to mitigate or adapt to climate change can also have direct interactions with development goals, involving both positive synergies and negative trade-offs [5][6][7][8][9][10] . Analyses of diverse social, economic and country contexts have demonstrated how outcomes of climate action can have differential impacts on vulnerable social groups, including extreme cases where national climate adaptation programs have resulted in the violent displacement of poor communities 11 .…”

The scientific value of UNESCO biosphere reserves

“…J4C has been included as a case study in a paper on climate change mitigation and ecosystem restoration. 15 GCBR greatly benefits from exposure through the J4C. The project is resulting in job creation, skills development, landscape restoration, alternative funding streams and an increase in the quality of life of local communities.…”

Para adaptar la restauración de la tierra a un clima cambiante: aceptemos lo que sabemos y lo que no

“…Un estudio hecho en Sudáfrica mostró cómo un proyecto de restauración diversificó los medios de vida y redujo el pastoreo excesivo. Esto se logró cultivando lavanda y romero para extraer sus aceites esenciales (Favretto et al 2018). La ONG que manejó el proyecto construyó una destilería para apoyar la producción y delegó el control a los agricultores, con lo que fortaleció el sentido de pertenencia y empoderamiento que motivaron la acción y la planeación de largo plazo.…”

“…La integración y coordinación de políticas y arreglos de gobernanza entre las instituciones de gobierno pueden mejorar las posibilidades de que se lleven a cabo exitosamente la implementación y la colaboración. En el estudio de caso de Sudáfrica, mencionado anteriormente, crear empleos fue uno de los principales objetivos de la iniciativa Working for Water (Trabajando por el Agua) (Favretto et al 2018), y el trabajo de restauración que requirió mano de obra intensa fue la política que permitió lograrlo. Pero el enfoque estrecho, enfocado en la creación de empleos, significó que las instituciones de gobierno perdieran la oportunidad de trabajar de forma conjunta para superar las limitaciones comunitarias para la adaptación y de lograr sinergias útiles para la adaptación, la mitigación y el desarrollo comunitario.…”