NAbSA (Nature-based Solutions for climate Adaptation: monitoring & impact evaluation)

SUNCASA

Mission

To accelerate climate resilience in Sub-Saharan Africa through inclusive, gender-responsive Nature-based Solutions (NbS) that safeguard biodiversity, empower communities, and strengthen adaptation outcomes.

Vision

 A future where communities across Africa thrive in the face of climate change — supported by nature, guided by equity, and backed by strong evidence of impact.

Background

NAbSA — NAture-based Solutions for climate Adaptation: monitoring & impact evaluation — is a technical hub hosted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Its programme of work is co-created with Global Affairs Canada's Partnering for Climate (P4C) community.

As a hub, NAbSA supports adaptation efforts across Sub-Saharan Africa by embedding high-integrity, gender-responsive and biodiversity-informed climate actions at the core of project design, implementation, and monitoring.

At the heart of NAbSA is its Operational Framework: an integrative, action-oriented tool developed by and for practitioners. This framework brings together existing climate adaptation- and resilience-related methodologies with innovative approaches and GIS data to strengthen how adaptation projects are designed, monitored, and evaluated while ensuring they meet the needs of both people and nature.

NAbSA also serves as a platform for capacity building, knowledge sharing and policy influence. It documents lessons and best practices, convenes dialogues, connects networks, and showcases innovations at national, regional, and international levels, reinforcing the role of nature in building resilience and reducing poverty in vulnerable communities. 

Context

Communities in Sub-Saharan Africa are on the frontlines of the climate crisis — facing intensifying risks to livelihoods, food security, and ecosystems. At the same time, these regions hold immense potential for NbS for adaptation that are rooted in local knowledge and natural systems.

Through a three-year partnership (2023–2026), NAbSA works directly with implementing partners to co-develop practical tools, build institutional capacity, and amplify the voices of women and marginalized groups in climate action. By focusing on mutual learning and measurable impact, NAbSA aims to inform global policy dialogue and set a new threshold for what effective, equitable, and sustainable adaptation can look like.

Structure of project

In a network of over 150 NGOs and CSOs, NAbSA works with 19 on-the-ground NbS for climate adaptation projects, located in 30 countries (27 of which are in Sub-Saharan Africa) and in 12 different ecosystems.

The network has 5 task forces dedicated to furthering the goals of P4C and NAbSA by targeting the key elements (and oftentimes biggest obstacles) for successful, integrative climate adaptation: Land & Natural Resource management, Agriculture & Livelihoods, Coastal & Marine Ecosystems, Policy & Governance, and Scale-out Development Communications. While each task force may focus on a different thematic topic, they each are embedded with a gender-responsive and human rights-based approach, ensuring equity is at the centre of their work.

Learn more about NAbSA’s work here. Check out NAbSA's Task Forces here. Sign up to follow NAbSA’s LinkedIn page and Twitter/X account and subscribe to its newsletter to stay up to date. Contact NAbSA on: [email protected]. See contributions of projects supported by the Government of Canada on IUCN's Contributions for Nature Platform here.