Climate Risk Management in Finnish Development Cooperation - Gaia

Project elements undermining local adaptation
Through the screening process no element that would contribute negatively to local adaptation
capacity was identified.
Conclusions and potential entry points for interventions
This initial climate screening of Technical Assistance to the Watershed Monitoring and Evaluation
(WME) Component of the Tana Beles reveals only low level risks for project outcomes. Even if
climate risks have not been explicitly assessed, they have been taken into consideration in a rather
comprehensive manner, through an integrated watershed approach to management of water
resources and land use.
The baseline studies will answer a wide set of questions and will a.o. provide information on amount
of rainfall, water flows and soil erosion (incl. sedimentation in the rivers) which could be
systematically analyzed also from a climate adaptation perspective. For proper inclusion of the
climate adaptation perspective it is vital to obtain information on the local communities affected.
Social and power structures in the societies, livelihood strategies and economic activities among
others are key factors determining adaptive capacity.
Consequently, the well elaborated baseline studies could provide valuable information on
experienced climate hazards, sensitivity of key resources (land, water, forest) to climate change and
variability, local coping strategies, level of soil loss and degradation etc, which could directly feed
into formulation of measures for strengthening local adaptation capacity. 62
The WME will also provide information on reforestation progress, which could also serve as a basis
for seeking additional funding for sustainable watershed and land use management activities
through carbon sequestration funding. Consequently, during WME project implementation several
potential entry points for further informing and monitoring pro-adaptation decision making as well
as supporting concrete local level adaptation measures may be identified.
Regarding the entire TBIWRDP, World Bank is planning to address climate risks in more detail as part
of its long-term engagement for the Growth Corridor. 63 These efforts should feed into all on-going
and planned development cooperation activities in the Tana Beles watershed.
62 See draft baseline questionnaires. Technical Assistance to the Watershed Monitoring and Evaluation (WME) Component
of the Tana Beles Integrated Water Resources Development Project (TBIWRDP) in Ethiopia. Version May 2009.
63 At the time of writing this document, the World Bank is about to finalize its “Growth Study” for the Tana & Beles area,
which will contribute to setting a road map for WB support in the area in the longer term.
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