Enablers and barriers for scaling nature-based solutions in Bangladesh

Organisers: HI-REAP and Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tract Affairs, Bangladesh

About the event

The Himalayan Resilience Enabling Action Programme (HI-REAP) under ICIMOD is collaborating with the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tract Affairs (MoCHTA), Government of Bangladesh, to organise a one-day science policy dialogue to identify the state of knowledge and national policies related to Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and develop actionable recommendations. These recommendations will aim to bridge the gaps in science, policy, and practice and strengthen their interface, especially in scaling NbS for water security in the Chittagong Hills Tract (CHT) region.

The event will host a valuable conversation among eminent researchers and decision-makers to co-sense Bangladesh’s position and needs for wider-scale adoption of NbS. By facilitating the dialogue between experts, scientists, and policymakers from relevant government institutions, academia, and think tanks, we will delve into gaps in science and policy concerning NbS converging to the policy actions to support scaling of NbS for water in the CHT region of Bangladesh.  

Objectives

• Facilitate shared understanding of science policy for implementing NbS in Bangladesh
• Share the context of NbS and their relevance for the country
• Identify key national policies and plans and research needs that will enable and reinforce the scaling of NbS
• Discuss enablers and barriers to scaling NbS in CHT

Expected outputs

• Actionable recommendations for scaling of NbS for water in the CHT region in Bangladesh

Background

Bangladesh is one of the most climate vulnerable countries, which faces disasters such as floods, cyclones, droughts every year, most of which have serious impacts and implications to biodiversity and human populations. Adaptation and mitigation measures to negate these impacts have been put in place, but not all keep the benefits to nature at the core.

The concept of NbS is gaining momentum globally, including in Bangladesh. Nature is being promoted as a means to provide solutions for emerging challenges through a broad range of actions.

The national policies of Bangladesh are gradually promoting the NbS aspects – such as wider-scale adoption of mangrove restoration to mitigate coastal surge and damage besides promoting green growth and carbon sinks – to address the impacts and risks of climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation. Moreover, the wide benefits of NbS generate co-benefits for biodiversity, climate, and sustainable development, including facilitation of intersectoral innovation, gender, equality and social inclusion, and collaborative institutional capacity and partnership. These are yet to be understood and applied.

Though NbS is applied to address a myriad of impacts and risks of climate change and environmental degradation, there is a widening disconnect between scientists and policymakers in terms of planning, programming, and implementation in Bangladesh. The gap between science, policy, and practice must be bridged wisely to facilitate evidence-based decision-making. This dialogue will provide an interactive platform for engaging the two main stakeholders to address Bangladesh’s water crisis.