Three elements and five criteria help answer the question: Is this approach EbA or not? EbA elements reflect the 2009 Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) definition for EbA, which state that EbA (i) helps people adapt to climate change (ii) by an active use of biodiversity and ecosystem services, (iii) in the context of an overall adaptation strategy. All three elements of the CBD definition must be addressed in order for an activity, initiative, project, approach, strategy, and/or measure to qualify as EbA.
Not only do the five criteria help determine whether or not a proposed activity is actually EbA, but they also help practitioners avoid maladaptation, whereby the activity is in fact detrimental to adaptation in the long-term, in a different aspect (socially, environmentally, economically, etc.), or for a neighbouring area.
This information is derived from the FEBA technical paper, Making Ecosystem-based Adaptation Effective – A Framework for Defining Qualification Criteria and Quality Standards, produced with GIZ, IUCN, and IIED, with support from BMU.
