The Nile system is one of Africa’s most important ecosystems, since it hosts 40% of Africa’s population (about 238 million people).
The Nile system is one of Africa’s most important ecosystems, since it hosts 40% of Africa’s population (about 238 million people). Due to its size and varying climate and topographies, the Nile Basin constitutes one of the most complex river basins. The challenges emanating from climate change in the Nile Basin include uncertainty as regards precipitation and river flow, land degradation, reduced river flow, flooding, droughts, deforestation, and loss of species and ecosystems and increased incidences of disease.
Additional challenges are the lack of sufficient institutional capacity and networking, inadequate climate variability monitoring and response mechanisms, lack of communication between science and policy communities, and inadequate technical capacity that is needed to cope with climate change related impacts. Not all countries in the Nile Basin have a water policy, let-alone a comprehensive water policy.
Although climate change has a fundamental role for water management, reforms in the water sector in the Nile Basin region often have very weak links to climate. Vulnerable sectors to impacts of climate change in the Nile region were identified as agriculture, water, energy and ecosystems, and the identification for needs for adaptation to climate change included satisfying access to water.
The "Adapting to climate change induced water stress in the Nile River Basin" project was launched in March 2010 as a partnership between UNEP and the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), sponsored by SIDA. The project ran from 2009 to 2012, and was focused on the Nile River Basin. The overall project goal was to build the resilience of ecosystems and economies that are most vulnerable to climate change induced water stress in the Nile Basin countries through building key adaptive capacity and piloting adaptation in "hotspots" with technical, policy and financial interventions.
With this project, UNEP has committed to assist Nile basin countries adapt to the impacts of climate change by using climate change adaptation methods, such as building resilience of vulnerable sectors and ecosystems in the region and hence its focus at a river basin level. Specifically, the project aims at minimizing the projected stress of too little and too much water (flooding and water scarcity) for conflict prevention and disaster reduction, through knowledge-based policy intervention, technology transfer and investment in key infrastructure
Results and information emanating from the project were expected to support policy areas and decision makers in the Nile Basin region in addressing the myriad complexities of increasing water scarcity, deteriorating water quality, lack of access to electricity, climate change and its potential impacts (i.e., droughts, floods, wetland degradation) as well as uneven levels of economic development. Additionally, the results from the project were to lead to increased cooperative management of the common Nile Basin water resources.
The project built on past work and incorporated adaptation issues as they relate to water stress within the Nile Basin. Detailed studies and assessment were undertaken that link climate change adaptation science and policy to provide adequate information and direction on water resources management within a changing climate and ultimately inform the demonstration activities at community level.
Comprehensive assessment
UNEP, in collaboration with DHI, developed an assessment methodology including themes, tools, criteria and indicators for selecting hot spots linked to scenario development. The framework sought to improve the regional knowledge and information based on adaptation strategies and transformative policies to manage these stared resources of the Nile Basin. A vulnerability assessment report identified adoption to climate change adaptation methods that build resilience of vulnerable sectors and ecosystems in the region was produced. The purpose of the study was to extend the knowledge and information base and aid critical policy intervention that complements and strengthens ongoing efforts to address the challenge of managing water resources in the area.
Policy and capacity building
The GWP and the NBI were both responsible for building the capacities of government agencies, research institutes, non-governmental organizations and other social actors that can enable them to facilitate climate resilience at local and national level. The NBI facilitated political and technical processes and provided relevant climate information, while GWP provided training, information management and dissemination through climate change adaptation portals and awareness material. Based on these interventions, several policy areas and recommendations for policy actions were identified.
Demonstration/Field site
Based on information generated by the comprehensive assessment work on hot spots, Uganda and Ethiopia were selected as pilot countries where demonstrations were undertaken. UNEP collaborated with several partners to implement functional and replicable demonstration sites linked to adaptation practices in a mountain or wetland ecosystem. Results from the demonstration site were shared with other countries within the basin.
