Ecosystem services and adaptation to climate change in Africa

Ecosystem services obtained from nature are fundamental for human well-being. It is well known that ecosystem services flows and values are affected by climate change, but less evidence exists on the contribution of ecosystem services to adaptation. This interlinks between adaptation to climate change and the value of ecosystem services  has been explored in a collaboration with researchers from FOL and BC3 during the past few years, and has now resulted in a new publication in the journal Ecological Economics entitled Benefits From Water Related Ecosystem Services in Africa and Climate Change.

Laetitia Pettinotti (BC3) is the lead author of this publication, where Elena Ojea and Amaia de Ayala (BC3) are the co-authors. The study summarizes the evidence on ecosystem services values from water systems in Africa, and its relation to adaptation to climate change. The study is part of the project WISE UP that looks at water infrastructure solutions from ecosystem services for climate resilient policies. The study collects evidence on ecosystem services values from primary studies in Africa, and explores the variability across values in a meta-analysis. As a result the study finds that countries face synergies and trade-offs in terms of how valuable their water related ecosystem services finding that more vulnerable countries are associated with lower benefits from ecosystem services.