€2,000,000 - €4,000,000

The frequent and severe floods that many cities in Lao PDR have been experiencing are causing a significant impact on the livelihood of local and vulnerable communities. To address the issues of flood and climate events, the Green Climate Fund has provided funding for the Lao DPR government to initiate the 'Build Resilience of Urban Populations with Ecosystem-Based Solutions in Lao DPR' project. The Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment of Lao, in collaboration with other related departments, universities, and provincial governments, is leading this project. The funding was approved in 2019, and the project is set to conclude by 2025. The project consists of four sub-projects, which will be implemented in four cities, including Paksan, Vientiane, Savannakhet, and Pakse. One of the sub-projects involves rehabilitating the Nong Peung wetland in Paksan city, which currently has no management plan and is negatively impacted by human activities and has been degraded in certain aspects. Natural vegetation has been lost in parts of the wetland, invasive alien plants are encroaching, and the natural water flow has been disrupted in places. The objective of this project is to develop a comprehensive management plan for Nong Peung wetland and implement various nature-based solutions to improve the ecosystem. This will involve removing invasive alien plant species, eliminating human-made barriers that obstruct natural flow, and planting appropriate native species. Currently, the project is in the planning stage with relevant stakeholders to determine the physical implementation site. (Ref.1,2,3)

Revitalizing Informal Settlements and their Environments (RISE) is one of the pilot projects carried out in the Batua neighbourhood (1.9 km2 area) of Makassar City (119 km2 area), province of South Sulawesi in Indonesia, which was commenced in 2017 and concluded in 2022 (1,2,3). Batua neighbourhood (six settlements of around 1,600 people) was the first demonstration site for this project which was completed in 2019 (3,4,5). The main challenge was that many households who lived in informal settlements lacked access to centralized urban infrastructure and faced threats from climate change (3,4). The project was proposed to reduce the impact of climate change on marginalized communities in Makassar by providing localized, water-sensitive interventions that addressed issues related to sanitation and water management (1,2,3,4). The introduction of water-sensitive solutions enabled targeted communities to recycle wastewater and rainwater, restore natural waterways, improve water quality, and reduce vulnerability to flooding (3,4). The RISE program initiative integrated nature-based solutions like wetland restoration, bio-filtration gardens (the process of using beneficial bacteria to clean water on a molecular level to remove contaminants), stormwater harvesting, filtration paths and new sanitation structures to improve wastewater management and diversify water resources through community-driven development (1,2,3,4).

A 7-hectare pilot public project, the Tebet Eco park is located in South Jakarta in a neighbourhood that is densely populated. Previous to the intervention the park was in an acute state of deterioration and prone to floods as well as ecological degradation, as the park is streamed by a river which made it only more susceptible to heavy rains. As such, the municipal authorities of Jakarta planned to revitalize the area by " increasing the hydraulic capacity of existing canal, improving site-wide pedestrian connectivity, and adding new recreation program". This meant that the park was transformed by planting and conserving new and older trees, as well as using vegetation and natural embankments. Furthermore, the implementer planted riparian vegetation to improve water quality by filtering and cleansing surrounding runoff, which also enhanced the site's biodiversity. Besides these elements, a thematic garden, a forest buffer, and a community garden were implemented complementing the entire eco-design that the park aimed for. The park's rehabilitation focused greatly on the human element as it was paramount to provide maximum benefits for park users, the surrounding natural habitats and species, as well as increasing the land value of the area. (2,3,7)

As an archipelagic state, Indonesia consists of 18,000 islands and 18,000 km of coastline, which is inhabited by more than 60% of the Indonesian population. Its geographical position exposes the island country to several climate change challenges, ranging from an increase in high temperature to a sea level rise and severe floods. One of the cities affected by flash floods, flooding, and landslides is Pekalongan City, crossed by 7 rivers and home to approx. 300,000 people. Inundations can reach 50-100 cm in many communities, causing distress, evacuations, and severe damage to infrastructure and food security as well as loss of income for the inhabitants that work in the fisheries sector, in the Batik industry (the process of traditionally dyeing fabric, performed on cotton and silk using a resist technique) or in paddy rice farming. (1)

Responding to the climate risks became of utter importance to the municipality of Pekalongan City. To help the Municipal Government of Pekalongan City to overcome the problem caused by climate change, Kemitraan (Partnership for Governance Reform in Indonesia), an implementing and advocacy NGO developed the project on Safekeeping-Surviving-Sustaining towards Resilience, a 3S Approach. The aim was to Build Coastal City Resilience to Climate Change Impacts and Natural Disasters in Pekalongan City, Central Java Province. This was approved on 29 October 2020 and is currently entering its implementation phase. The project will focus on building resilience to climate change impacts with interventions of hard and soft nature. More precisely, the project aims to build capacity and resilience through training, mangrove ecosystem restoration and enhancement of coastal protection, and development of a Local Climate Adaptation Action Plan and implementation of climate-smart actions (1,2). The project aims to reach these goals by employing a collaborative and participatory approach that is locally driven and involves those most at risk. The program is expected to end in April 2023 (1).

The Greater Iqbal Park is one of Lahore's largest and most beautiful parks and is located in the suburbs of the Walled City of Lahore. The park was built in 1971 and is named after the national poet of Pakistan, Allama Iqbal (7). The redevelopment of Greater Iqbal Park was approved in 2015 by the Government of Punjab. The project was developed under the supervision of the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA). The landscape plan was designed by the joint collaboration of national (NESPAK) and international (Sites International) consultants. The on-ground earthwork and construction were carried out by Habib Construction Services, a Pakistan-based engineering construction company (1, 5, 4, 11). The design idea of the project focused on revamping the area to create a welcoming environment in the environs of the city’s densely populated areas (6).

The project aimed to renovate and preserve Minar-i-Pakistan Monument and expand the area of the park to 125 acres. It features elaborate walkways and manicured gardens with state-of-the-art landscaping to boost tourism opportunities The project envisioned enhancing the cultural heritage by creating green spaces with various species of plants and trees along the park to ensure efficient facilities for the users. The 125-acre green oasis is surrounded almost entirely by the old city of Lahore (1, 3, 4, 11, 12).

The park was inaugurated in December 2016 with state-of-the-art facilities for users, whereas the overall project including the development of the National Museum was completed in 2018. The park has been designed in a manner that its aerial view resembles the national symbol of the star and the crescent. (3,11)

The International Cultural Garden Park (IC Park) is a comprehensive, private-sector-led, green development project in Yarmag, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Initiated in 2021 by the Ikh Uilsiin Ereld Group LLC on its own property land as part of its social responsibility, the planned area covers a 35 hectares (86 acres) site. First, an international design competition was announced to plan the project. As a result of this competition, a contemporary park concept was developed for Ulaanbaatar's New Center to convey an international concept, with designs of significant cultural and historical elements from over ten different nations. The IC Park will also serve as a venue for a variety of international events, including conferences, sporting competitions, cultural festivals, and more. Green technology is being used with particular attention throughout the park's construction, and more than 90 species of trees and about 50 species of natural perennials growing in Mongolia are planned to be planted with the cooperation of professional tree planting and gardening organizations, specialists, researchers, and scientists. As of today, more than 7,000 trees have been planted in the project area, and professional personnel are diligently working on their care and pruning. The project is expected to reduce the negative consequences of global warming, create a greener environment, and secure long-term employment. (Ref. 1, 2, 4, 7)

A new nature sanctuary was unveiled at the Kingfisher Wetlands, Gardens by the Bay, in Singapore in 2021. Before the sanctuary was created, the original site was a popular bird-watching spot for the birding community and nature photographers. However, it was isolated and "often missed by the general public". The new Kingfisher Wetlands was thus developed with the aim of enhancing and enriching the Gardens, as well as providing new nature areas for visitors to explore. The place is a new hotspot for the flourishing diversity of exotic flora and fauna. Furthermore, the project helps in mitigating climate change through mangrove plantations. Over 200 native true mangrove trees and mangrove associates have been planted, contributing to sustainability by storing “blue” carbon. Additionally, the project actively supports research into blue carbon science. This contributes to the country's effort to transform Singapore into a City in Nature by weaving nature more intensively into the urban fabric. [1, 4]

Ecosystem-based adaptation planning in Osh will support the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic in establishing its National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process and is consistent with the government’s strategic vision for climate change adaptation. Additionally, this project also contributes to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and UNDP’s objectives by increasing resilience for the most vulnerable people, communities, and regions, by strengthening institutional and regulatory systems for climate-responsive planning and development, and by strengthening adaptive capacity and reducing exposure to climate risks. The priority sectors for the project are: (1) disaster and emergency management; (2) health; (3) biodiversity conservation; (4) and agriculture and irrigation water. The relevant agencies and stakeholders of these four sectors will be key to ensuring these plans catalyse investments to enhance adaptive capacity in the city. [1, 2]

Xalapa is located beneath towering volcanic peaks in the Sierra Madre Oriental, and the city is crossed by at least five minor streams, seven rivers, and it has four man-made lakes and one lagoon in its territory. Its natural ecosystem represents “1% of the national forest area and hosts more than 12% of forest biodiversity” [1]. However, unplanned expansion has resulted in deforestation and the inadequate management of its waterways. In addition, forests, riparian corridors and wetlands have been cleared for agriculture and urban infrastructure. These disruptions to the environment have increased the frequency and intensity of flooding in the city [2]. To meet the environmental challenges, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Mexico's Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources-SEMARNAT launched an initiative as part of UNEP's multi-city CityAdapt Project, backed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) [3]. The project focuses on four interventions to improve resilience to climate change through NbS: 1) riparian restoration along the Papas urban river; 2) ecological restoration of the Estropajo Hill; 3) installation of rainwater systems within the most vulnerable areas in Xalapa; and 4) implementation of an artificial wetland at schools [2,4].