Scaling Up Nature-based Solutions for Climate-Resilient Towns

Capacity Building Workshop for Coastal City Professionals 

This event aims to provide a comprehensive capacity-building program tailored for LGED and local government officials, town planners, and engineers from 22 coastal towns in Bangladesh. This program will focus on strengthening participants’ understanding of hazard-specific NBS interventions and enhancing their capacity to integrate these interventions into local infrastructure planning for improved climate resilience. 

Event description

As a low-lying deltaic nation in the Global South, Bangladesh is among the most climate-vulnerable countries globally – facing rising sea levels, intensified cyclones, salinity intrusion, and recurring floods that threaten lives, livelihoods, and sustainable development. The coastal region, home to millions, is particularly at risk, with climate hazards like storm surges, sea-level rise, and coastal erosion placing immense pressure on local infrastructure and ecosystems. Strengthening resilience in these areas is essential to protect communities and ensure sustainable growth. 

In partnership with the Institute of Water and Flood Management, BUET, GCA is providing technical support to ADB and LGED’s Coastal Towns Climate Resilience Project. Under the technical support, GCA is identifying and prioritizing the NBS for four coastal towns. This  work is supported by UK International Development with funds from the UK government. 

Nature-based solutions (NBS) offer an innovative and sustainable approach to addressing these challenges. By harnessing the power of natural ecosystems, NBS can mitigate climate impacts, enhance biodiversity, improve water management, and provide cost-effective alternatives to traditional engineering solutions. To mainstream NBS, GCA is leveraging its Global Tools for NBS to identify high-impact, investment-ready interventions tailored for transport sector against coastal flooding, fluvial flooding and landslides. This tool evaluates and prioritizes NBS options based on social and financial indicators, such as, return on investment, carbon storage, biodiversity value, etc. For instance, floodplain reforestation in Shariatpur Sadar Upazila is projected to benefit over 259,000 people, with an expected annual avoided damage of $22.8 million to road sector, along with a net carbon benefit of 200,000 ton CO₂. Similarly, mangrove planting in Shyamnagar Upazila East could yield a benefit-cost ratio of 38.34 and protect approximately 137,000 residents from coastal flooding. The published Investor Briefs for Bangladesh and Tanzania have highlighted the importance of NBS in safeguarding transport systems.  To complement the NBS efforts, GCA has recently launched Bangladesh’s first National Compendium on Nature-Based Solutions for Urban Resilience, providing a practical roadmap for cities to adapt to climate change while enhancing livability and green spaces. This compendium showcases locally led initiatives and serves as a critical resource for integrating NbS into urban planning and infrastructure development. Through these initiatives, GCA is not only facilitating climate-smart planning in four pilot towns under the Coastal Towns Climate Resilience Project but also establishing a scalable model for mainstreaming NBS across Bangladesh. 

However, despite the recognized potential of NBS, the coastal towns in Bangladesh currently lack the necessary capacity, resources, and access to high-resolution climate data to fully integrate these approaches into town planning and infrastructure development. To address these gaps, there is a critical need focused, long-term capacity-building efforts that can equip local practitioners with the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to implement NBS across coastal towns effectively. 

PURPOSE OF THE EVENT 
This event aims to provide a comprehensive capacity-building program tailored for LGED and local government officials, town planners, and engineers from 22 coastal towns in Bangladesh. This program will focus on strengthening participants’ understanding of hazard-specific NBS interventions and enhancing their capacity to integrate these interventions into local infrastructure planning for improved climate resilience. 

Specifically, the event aims to: 

• Strengthen participants’ ability to interpret climate assessments and translate findings into actionable planning. 
• Support local officials in identifying hazard-specific NBS options relevant to their geographic and socio-economic contexts. 
• Facilitate group work and scenario exercises for applying NBS to salinity, erosion, solid waste, and drainage challenges. 
• Enhance skills in aligning NBS with existing land use planning tools, development plans, and budgets. 
• Deepen peer learning, enabling cross-town collaboration and replicable strategies. 
• Equip participants with practical templates and examples for mainstreaming NBS into project pipelines. 

EXPECTED OUTCOMES 
By the end of the event, participants will: 

• Have a understanding of the outcomes of climate risk and vulnerability assessments, with a focus on social aspects. 
• Identify hazard-specific NBS options and assess their suitability for local implementation in their respective towns. 
• Have a strong understanding of how NBS can be practically embedded into local towns and planning processes. 
• Be equipped with templates and case studies for applying NBS to address key climate challenges. 
• Build connections with peers and experts to foster ongoing knowledge sharing and collaboration.