Ecosystem Based Adaptation in Seychelles

This project seeks to reduce the vulnerability of the Seychelles to climate change, focusing on two key issues—water scarcity and flooding. Climate change projections in the Seychelles show that rainfall, while increasing in overall terms, will become even more irregular. Much of the precipitation is falling in sharp bursts, creating heavy flooding in the wet season, while imposing extended period of drought during the dry season. As the country does not have a large water storage capacity, and the topography of the islands constrains such infrastructure, water supplies are heavily dependent on rainfall. Furthermore, the coastal zone is vulnerable to flooding as a consequence of rising sea surface levels, and increased storm surges from cyclonic activity in the Western Indian Ocean. The project will reduce these vulnerabilities by spearheading ecosystem-based adaptation as climate change risk management—restoring ecosystem functionality, and enhancing ecosystem resilience and sustaining watershed and coastal processes in order to secure critical water provisioning and flood attenuation ecosystem services from watersheds and coastal areas.

Location: 
Unspecified
Level of Intervention: 
Community
Regional
Key Collaborators: 
National Governments
Climate-Related Hazards Addressed: 
Drought/Water Scarcity
Flood
Sea Level Rise
Thematic Area: 
Natural Resource Management
Implementing Agencies & Partnering Organizations: 
Ministry of Environment and Energy, Government of Seychelles
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Adaptation Fund
Primary Beneficiaries: 
Communities in the targeted watersheds on the island of Mahé
Funding Source: 
The Adaptation Fund
Financing Amount: 
$6,455,750 (amount requested and approved 2011-06-22)
Co-Financing Total: 
N/A
Project Status: 
Source of Funds Pipeline