The ecosystem-based adaptation planning tool “ALivE — Adaptation, Livelihoods and Ecosystems” user manual was officially released recently in both Chinese and Russian language versions, with financial support from the Alliance of International Science Organizations in the Belt and Road Region (ANSO). 

Launched in July 2018, ALivE is a computer-based tool to support ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation. It also helps ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) project managers and practitioners to organize and analyse information, when they are planning EbA options within a broader EbA planning process.

"ALivE" Planning Tool’s User Manual [IMAGE: UNEP-IEMP]

Accompanying the tool, the ALivE user manual provides users with detailed guidance on applying ALivE as part of the EbA planning process. In addition to step-by-step instructions for using the tool itself, the manual provides a framework and methodologies for collecting and organising the information required to use ALivE, as well as guidance on identifying entry points for integrating EbA into policies and planning processes.

The user manual had been produced in English, French, Nepalese and Spanish languages. The tool has also been widely promoted within the EbA South pilot countries (Mauritania, Nepal and Seychelles) and beyond, resulting in its real application in many EbA initiatives in various countries, including those in South America and Southeast Asia.

ALivE is one of the most relevant and up-to-date tools for the planning of ‘natural-based’ solutions as described by the UN Climate Summit. It is a rapid qualitative assessment technique that can be applied in any ecosystem type.

ALivE is a key “Ecosystem-Based Adaptation through South-South Cooperation (EbA South) Project” deliverable, developed in partnership with the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

As part of the EbA South Project Steering Committee, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) offered financial support to further translate the ALivE user manual into the Chinese and Russian languages in May 2019, aiming to encourage more extensive application of the tool in Chinese-speaking and Russian-speaking countries.

The funding support came from the Alliance of International Science Organizations in the Belt and Road Region (ANSO) — a non-profit, non-governmental and international scientific organisation jointly initiated by CAS.

The ALivE EbA planning tool and its user manual are now available for downloading from the IISD website and the EbA South website.

Since 2013, EbA South has been delivered by the National Development and Reform Commission of China, through the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research of CAS. It is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). The project’s overall goal is to assist vulnerable communities in Africa and Asia-Pacific to adapt to the impacts of climate change, by improving their capacity to plan, implement, finance, research and legislate in support of EbA.

Source：Chinese Academy of Sciences