Planting Resilience: Nature-Based Solutions in Burundi
A
s the rainy season approaches in Burundi, the deep gullies carved into Bujumbura’s hillsides serve as a powerful reminder of what climate change looks like on the ground. Here, climate vulnerability is not an abstract concept. It is visible in every collapsed slope, flooded road, and eroded farm plot.
Burundi is experiencing one of the fastest urbanization rates in East Africa, with an urban growth rate of 5.7 percent between 2000 and 2019. The population of Bujumbura is expected to surpass 4 million by 2045, according to the World Bank. As the country remains on the World Bank’s Fragile and Conflict-Affected Situations (FCS) list and ranks among the poorest globally, the risks associated with rapid urban growth are especially acute. Bujumbura, the capital, is particularly vulnerable: over half the city is prone to flooding, and in its most densely populated neighborhoods, more than 70 percent of residents are exposed to floodwater from heavy rains and overflowing rivers. Rapid, unplanned expansion onto steep, erosion-prone hillsides further increases the risk of landslides and drainage system failure. These climate-related hazards regularly damage homes, destroy crops, and cut off access to essential services like schools, markets, and healthcare.
In response, the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is working to scale up nature-based solutions (NbS) that already exist within local practices, such as reforestation of hillsides, and the use of vegetation to stabilize slopes and reduce runoff. By identifying, strengthening, and expanding these context-specific approaches, GCA helps ensure that adaptation efforts are affordable, effective, and grounded in what already works, even in extremely fragile and resource-constrained settings like Burundi.
To help Bujumbura adapt, the World Bank is implementing the Burundi Urban Resilience Project, with a total investment of US$120 million shaped by GCA’s technical support. This project will invest in climate-resilient infrastructure to reduce flooding, including drainage systems, embankments, culverts, and flood retention basins. But gray infrastructure alone cannot solve the problem—especially in a country like Burundi, where government resources are stretched and communities often maintain their own surroundings.
That is why the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is working with the World Bank to complement these investments with NbS. These green measures use plants, trees, and natural processes to protect land, slow water runoff and strengthen the environment.
In the hills around Bujumbura, NbS are already making a difference. One simple but powerful method involves planting Bana grass, also known as Napier grass. This fast-growing plant helps hold soil in place, reducing the risk of landslides and erosion. But what makes it truly effective is its everyday value to the community. Families regularly cut the grass to feed their cows or use it to as a construction material to build their homes. These co-benefits make it a sustainable choice that people are willing to maintain long after a project ends.
Other plants like Caliandra and bamboo have also been planted to stabilize slopes. Tree nurseries established by the project have made seedlings more accessible, and trees are now growing on both public and private land. These green measures are helping to hold the soil, reduce flooding, and improve farming conditions.
Community involvement plays a significant role in keeping these solutions going. During the dry season, each household maintains its own land. Local governments also organize community walks to raise awareness and encourage people to clean roadside gutters and care for the trees. These small actions, repeated across many neighborhoods, add up to a stronger, more climate-resilient city.
To help inform future investments, GCA is preparing a Compendium of Nature-Based Solutions for Urban Resilience, with a focus on soil and water management. The compendium will document practical, low-cost interventions already in use across Burundi, such as hillside reforestation, vegetated drainage channels, and community-managed wetlands and offer guidance on how to integrate these nature-positive approaches into broader flood and erosion control strategies. A key premise is that these solutions provide co-benefits for local communities, such as improved livelihoods, food security, and access to resources, helping to ensure long-term maintenance and sustainability. While many of these interventions align with NbS frameworks, GCA takes a flexible approach focused less on meeting formal criteria and more on scaling what works in fragile, resource-constrained environments like Burundi.
As part of this effort, a validation workshop for the NbS inventory was held in Bujumbura. Organized by OCA Global, the workshop brought together key stakeholders from government, the World Bank and the International Organization for Migration. The discussion helped ensure that the inventory reflects local realities and priorities, and it created momentum for integrating NbS into ongoing and future investments.
A similar support package is being developed in four other countries across the Congo Basin: Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Gabon and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In each country, the aim is to help governments and communities integrate nature-based approaches into climate adaptation efforts and share lessons learned across the region.
Climate change is already reshaping life in Burundi. But with the right mix of infrastructure and community-led solutions, it is possible to adapt. Nature-based solutions, when rooted in local knowledge and backed by broader investments are helping build a more resilient future from the ground up.
The ideas presented in this article aim to inspire adaptation action – they are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Global Center on Adaptation.
