Transforming Landscapes for Resilience and Development in Zambia

Adaptation Need

Zambia’s Miombo woodlands are important for livelihoods, rural communities, biodiversity conservation, and climate regulation. However, severe threats from deforestation, unsustainable agricultural practices, and climate change have rendered them at risk. In addition, weak policy harmonization, sectoral coordination, inadequate knowledge management, and a lack of coherent sector policies and coordination among institutions impede Zambia’s ability to protect its Miombo ecosystems effectively. Policy strengthening and capacity building are urgently needed to enhance conservation efforts.

GCA’s Added Value

The GCA is developing guidelines for People’s Adaptation Planning for inclusion in the project’s community sub-project manual, contextualized to rural Zambian contexts. In addition, GCA is piloting the implementation of the guidelines in ten villages in Muchinga Province and ten communities in Copperbelt Province. At the request of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Zambia, the pilot will inform the review of Zambia’s guidelines for district-level Integrated Development Plans (IDPs), presenting a transformative opportunity for GCA and partners to achieve nation-wide impact by tailoring and strengthening the climate adaptation and resilience components of the guidelines for immediate, actionable requirements informed by local conditions. Additionally, capacity building of government personnel and project management and implementation staff is planned to inform implementation of the guidelines in other climate vulnerable project areas.