Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR)
A model for upscaling community resilience:
In the tapestry of India's diverse and dynamic landscape, UNEP strives to collaborate with a variety of local and national partners to champion the profound significance of Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR). UNEP's Eco-DRR project aims to provide a holistic approach to help enhance resilience against climate and disaster risks, especially within the unique context of India.
A major part of our Eco-DRR project in India takes place in the states of Odisha, Bihar, and Gujarat. The project focuses on the restoration and protection of wetlands, the rejuvenation of village ponds, and waterbody conservation. The project helps empower Community-based Organisations (CBOs) to protect and improve wetlands ecosystems and water management with the goal of integrating Eco-DRR action plans into local government development plans and programmes. This component of the Eco-DRR project was done in collaboration with Partners for Resilience (PfR) – a global alliance between the Netherlands Red Cross, the Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Center, Cordaid, Wetlands International, and CARE along with partner civil society and CBOs in the countries where they work.
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Key Implementing partner: Wetlands International South Asia
Mainstreaming Eco-DRR in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (Mahatma Gandhi NREGS) Programme in India
Another vital component of the overall Eco-DRR project is successfully demonstrated through a collaboration between the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Kerala Institute for Local Administration (KILA), in-collaboration with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (Mahatma Gandhi NREGS), one of the world's largest cash-for-work programmes. The project aims to showcase how ecosystem protection and restoration can effectively mitigate disaster risks while benefiting local livelihoods. The Mahatma Gandhi NREGS further conducts natural resources management restoration works and has immense potential for undertaking works for addressing climate risks in a more systematic manner. This concerted effort ultimately aims at scaling up Eco-DRR nationally through the Mahatma Gandhi NREGS, setting a transformative example for resilience-building against climate and disaster risks not only within India but globally.
Key Implementing partners: Kerala Institute for Local Administration; National Institute of Disaster Management, India
Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction: A Model Case Study from Pozhuthana Grama Panchayat, Wayanad
Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction: A Model case study of Coir Geotextiles from Kerala
Upscaling Community Resilience through Ecosystem-based DRR: A Model Case study from Kerala
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