Scaling up Mountain Ecosystem-based Adaptation - Spring

Team Members: Julia DeVito, Kelsey Wooddell, Olivia Anton, Sarangadev Krishnan, Maria Gracia Aguilar, Joan Coker, Aayushi Mishra, Stephanie Hunsucker, Christina Theodoridi, Johan Møller Nielsen, Nadine Moussallem, Ilana Rubin

Mountain ecosystems provide essential services including freshwater supply, biodiversity conservation, and climate regulation, yet they face increasing threats from climate change, population growth, and unsustainable land use. These pressures threaten the livelihoods of mountain communities and the downstream populations that depend on mountain ecosystem services. Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) offers an integrated approach to address these risks by combining environmental conservation with climate resilience and socioeconomic development. Analysis across six countries identified significant opportunities to expand EbA initiatives to strengthen environmental resilience while improving food security, water availability, and local economic stability.

Scaling up EbA requires strengthening institutional capacity, improving policy integration, and enhancing local participation. Incorporating EbA into national and regional planning frameworks would improve implementation effectiveness and ensure long-term sustainability. Enhancing community engagement and expanding technical and financial support would enable broader adoption of adaptation strategies while strengthening local economies. Expanding EbA initiatives would improve resilience to climate impacts while supporting biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. These measures would help vulnerable mountain communities adapt to climate change while protecting critical ecosystem services that support regional and global environmental stability.

Learn more about the MPA-ESP Capstone projects.