Challenges for mainstreaming Ecosystem-based Adaptation into the international climate agenda

Ecosystem-based Adaptation promotes the sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystem services to adapt to climate change, and has been defended as an effective and cost-efficient way of reducing climate change impacts. In fact, there is a growing recognition of the role that healthy ecosystems play in helping people to adapt to climate change, but Ecosystem-based Adaptation is only starting to be incorporated to policy and its role is so far limited to complement (not substitute) more traditional adaptation measures. This paper reviews recent literature on Ecosystem-based Adaptation and looks for the main reasons for this delay by identifying key areas that need more attention from scientists and policymakers in order to incorporate Ecosystem-based Adaptation into the international climate policy agenda. Main challenges relate to governance structures and participation, how to measure effectiveness, the incorporation of longer-term scales for management, appropriate financial mechanisms, and dealing with climate change and ecosystem science inherent uncertainties.