MFF Symposium on Coastal Community Resilience

Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh. 30th Mar 2014 to 3rd Apr 2014

The National Coordinating Body of Bangladesh and MFF Regional Secretariat promote cross-learning among Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Viet Nam about ecosystem-based approaches to building coastal community resilience. The Symposium will also benefit from the expert input and support of Ecosystems for Life, an IUCN project focusing on regional transboundary water management.

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The Symposium's theme is Coastal Community Resilience. 

Over the past decade, resilience theory has evolved as a way to characterize the ability of social and ecological systems to prepare for change and to recover and renew themselves in the face of partially known or potentially surprising changes.

In the MFF context, coastal community resilience is a priority as many coastal communities are particularly vulnerable both to ongoing natural disasters, and to climate change.  Improved resilience can help human communities adapt quicker and better to change. But ultimately this ability to change and adapt will be dependent on whether natural ecosystems are healthy and themselves resilient. The combined resilience of both natural and human communities will result in true sustainability.

The symposium aims to draw knowledge from other MFF countries in South and Southeast Asia and to share lessons and practical solutions for tackling complex coastal issues. It will provide a platform for multistakeholder and multi-country dialogue on the following topics. 

Session 1: Ecosystem-based approaches to building coastal community resilience

The first session will focus on the vulnerability of coastal communities, in addition to the various policy and practical options available to help them adapt to changing conditions. A Bangladesh-specific case will be presented to set the scene for identifying principles for up-scaling ecosystem-based adaptation options.   A second presentation will highlight how Community-Based Adaptation (CBA) has become a global movement, and will also provide an overview on policy challenges that developing countries face in mainstreaming CBA.  The presentations will be followed by an open discussion guided by the Session Chair to develop a set of recommendations that MFF can incorporate into its future operations.  

Session 2:  REDD+ and the way forward

The session will include a facilitated panel discussion on the latest developments in REDD+ and its potential for mangrove conservation. The session will focus mainly on national awareness and capacity-building opportunities to secure benefits from the REDD process.

Session 3: Coastal resource governance

The session will focus on ways to support better coastal resource governance at the local level. There will be an exchange of experiences around co-management systems under different governance regimes, and on how innovative policy instruments, like economic valuation and Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES), can further support better governance and conservation. 

Session 4: Delta dynamics and adaptive management

Coastlines and coastal ecosystems such as mangroves are naturally dynamic and change over time. Compared to conventional coastal engineering, nature-based solutions including the protection and restoration of mangrove forests, provide an alternative, and potentially more effective way, to build resilience though adaptive management. This session will highlight the options available for adaptive management which can enable communities to cope with change.

Session 5: Symposium Summary

At the end of the symposium, chairs from each session will present major outcomes from their respective sessions. A set of recommendations will be developed for MFF to potentially incorporate into future operations. 

 

For more information, please contact:

Mr Raquibul Amin, Project Manager, Mangroves for the Future Regional Secretariat

Email:   raquibul.AMIN@iucn.org

Dr Anwara Begum, National Coordinator for Bangladesh, Mangroves for the Future

Email:  anwara.BEGUM@iucn.org

Symposium on Coastal Resilience

Symposium on Coastal Resilience, Dhaka, Bangladesh © MFF, 2014

Related Documents

Regional Symposium on Coastal Community Resilience

Book of Abstracts (March 30-31, 2014)

Author: MFF

Posted on: 18th Apr 2014

Category: Asia Region (Secretariat)

Size: 2.3 MB

Provisional Programme: MFF Symposium on Coastal Community Resilience

Author: MFF Regional Secretariat (RAmin)

Posted on: 13th Mar 2014

Category: Asia Region (Secretariat)

Size: 87 KB