Abstract
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess the extent to which adaptation projects have incorporated ecosystem services, as well as their redesigning options. The projects selected are listed under National Adaptation Programme of Action in West African region.Design/methodology/approachA desktop survey approach was used to review 168 projects from 13 countries across West Africa. The projects were categorized and analyzed according to their adaptation goal, thematic focus, their implementation duration and level of investment.FindingsThe adaptation initiatives are dominated by actions in the agricultural sector accounting for 32 per cent of the total. Further, they were characterized by small grants consideration with 63 per cent falling under US$1m budget, short-term implementation duration with 46 per cent having three years’ execution period. A large portion of projects (55 per cent) mentioned directly one or more ecosystem services, with provisioning services being referred to in 50 per cent of the cases.Originality/valueAdaptation projects with ecosystem services components are more sustainable and beneficial to the community. Hence, more consideration of nature benefits during project design, more financial consideration and localizing of the projects to realize the global adaptation goal should be considered.
Highlights
Background and introductionEcosystems play an irreplaceable role in supporting life through provision of ecosystem services (Colls et al, 2009), which maintain, strengthen and enrich different elements of livelihood on the planet (Capistrano, 2005)
Mauritania had the biggest number of adaptation projects at 28 while Cape Verde and Liberia had the least at three each
These variations were used in establishing the place of ecosystem services in the adaptation projects studies
Summary
Background and introductionEcosystems play an irreplaceable role in supporting life through provision of ecosystem services (Colls et al, 2009), which maintain, strengthen and enrich different elements of livelihood on the planet (Capistrano, 2005). The functional dependency between trees, water, soil, vegetation, animals and humans (Melillo et al, 2003) supports sustained values for life on the planet as Bailey (2009) notes. Some of the major threats facing the existence and services provision of ecosystems include ecosystem conversion, climate change, loss of biodiversity as well as destruction and unsustainable extraction of resources from sensitive ecosystems such as forests and wetlands (Boyd and Banzaf, 2007; Brouwer et al, 2011; Michelle et al, 2012). The Least Developed Nations (LDCs) globally have the highest rates of ecosystems degradation due to their over-reliance and dependency on the ecosystems for the survival of their citizens (Climate Change Science Program-CCSP, 2008; Brouwer et al, 2011)
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