Benefits of embedding Biodiversity in EbA
While literature about the role of Biodiversity in adaptation initiatives is insufficient, the success achieved by embedding Biodiversity in EbA is felt at multiple levels. This is mainly by virtue of its comprehensiveness, proactiveness, and climate resilience, which influences landscape-level factors and has significant socio-economic implications. Moreover, the broad base and variety, from the soil microbes to the higher-order organisms across multiple levels, i.e., genetic, species and ecosystem, present a significant vantage point to tackle climatic issues and offer livelihood benefits. For instance, the plethora of Ecosystem Based Adaptation goods and services obtained through better integration of Biodiversity in EBA can be bundled and strengthened by sustainable financing to enhance rural income.
Positive socio-economic conditions, in turn, are known to influence the adaptive capacity of species, ecosystems and the human community. This is especially pertinent for the vulnerable and developing geographies of the world, which remain rich in terms of natural capital yet disadvantaged on multiple fronts. For instance, Sub-Saharan Africa, one of the most species-rich regions in the world, is also one of the poorest and runs a risk of losing close to 10% of its real GDP to the collapse of ecosystem services. This elucidates a causal nexus between socio-economic conditions and adaptive capacities, effected by the far-reaching role of Biodiversity. Based on these sophisticated linkages, reasonable correlations can be made about the ability of Biodiversity to both leverage and reinforce the natural capacity of ecosystems to support human adaptation and planetary well-being.
Read more: https://wotr.org/2022/04/21/the-role-of-biodiversity-in-eba/
