Mitigating Flood Risks Through Women’s Leadership in EbA Interventions

Nepal is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change threats and natural hazards such floods and hazards. The country has been actively striving to adapt to the challenges posed by climate change. Recognizing the importance of adaptation measures, Nepal has developed a National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) and has made a promising start in developing Local Adaptation Plans of Action (LAPAs) to implement the national adaptation priorities. However, the integration of Ecosystem–based Adaptation (EbA) measures into LAPAs is limited despite of notable success of such measures in Nepal. In addition, the role of women in climate change adaptation is often restricted to participation in events, while their leaderships roles remain suppressed. 

Most often, site specific interventions are used to reduce flood risk even while the major drivers of the problem lie in the upper catchment. This project is particularly designed with the aim of integrating watershed–wide EbA into policies and programs. It seeks to capture evidence of gender-responsive EbA measures from Nepal’s experience, identify hotspots for climate adaptation interventions, and prioritize EbA responses through a co-creation process with women and indigenous communities. A key output will be a watershed restoration plan, integrating EbA measures into six LAPAs. An accompanying Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) action plan for the watershed will be co-created to promote the role of women in EbA design, construction, monitoring, and maintenance. Lessons learnt and recommendations will inform the next NAPA and LAPAs. The project will also facilitate capacity building of local government and communities to adopt EbA approaches to mitigate flood risks at the watershed level. 

Project Updates

The project Mitigating Flood Risks through women’s leadership in EbA interventions began in October 2023. It prioritizes the need for an EbA approach to flood risk management and emphasises the significance of watershed level governance, while incorporating a gender lens and promoting women’s leadership. The study focuses on the Mohana-Khutiya River Basin, located in far-western region of Nepal. 

1. Strengthened Local Engagement: During the inception stage, the project team engaged with communities, key local and provincial government stakeholders, and disaster management organizations through a series of meetings and workshops. At least 40 people from government authorities and 130 from communities were consulted. Apart from project sharing, these consultations provided insights into climate-induced hazards in the study area and existing disaster risk reduction and management policies, plans, and activities. This engagement has enhanced stakeholder ownership and strengthened collaboration. 

2. Identified Community Vulnerabilities and Capacities: A community vulnerability and capacity assessment was conducted in all six municipalities within the river basin. Various EbA interventions across different regions of Nepal were also explored and in-depth case studies of selected EbA approaches were developed. These studies reveal diverse vulnerabilities and adaptive capacities across the municipalities, highlighting the need for tailored EbA interventions that align with the priorities and resources of the communities and local government. 

3. Assessed EbA Approaches: Three EbA initiatives related to flood risk reduction were selected for an evaluation study. Key learnings indicated that for EbA to be sustainable and scalable, strong governance at different tiers of government is critical, particularly at the local level. Furthermore, the study found that concrete evidence demonstrating the quantifiable benefits and economic effectiveness of EbA measures, compared to alternative approaches, is still inadequate in Nepal. However, the study indicates the potential for replicability and scalability of the studied EbA approaches throughout the nation, depending on context-specific needs, and recommends the need for landscape– or watershed–level EbA interventions for wider impact and sustainability. 

Project Status

Ongoing