GEF Agency: UNEP
Executing Agency: Government of Djibouti – Ministry of Urbanism, Habitat, Environment, and Land Use Planning (MUHEAT)
LDCF Grant: $2,070,000
Co-financing: $2,405,000
Djibouti is highly vulnerable to extreme climate events. The large part of Djibouti’s infrastructure and population (88%) is located in the coastal area, and is therefore particularly at risk from seal level rise and flooding. The vast majority of population remains highly susceptible to climate variability due to their dependence on the rare natural resources available (e.g. pasture, land, and water). Furthermore, rising sea levels could be substantial, leading to significant erosion, potential damage to coastal and port infrastructure (the majority of the country’s source of income), as well as increased risks of flooding and salinization of water through salt water intrusion in depleted aquifers. The fragile coastal ecosystems—including coral reefs, estuaries, and mangroves—that play a key role in the subsistence of coastal communities and also serve as buffer zones against flooding, are already showing significant signs of degradation due to climate change and anthropogenic pressures.
As a result, this project’s objective is to address the impacts of climate change on coastal ecosystems and communities by implementing a set of urgent measures that will strengthen the capacity to predict future changes, while helping local populations to adapt through the adoption of more sustainable production methods, particularly in the areas of water management, agriculture, fisheries, and tourism. The project will be implemented in two of Djibouti’s most marginalized and poverty-stricken regions, Obock-Khor Anghar in the North and Atar-Damerjog in the South.
The project’s proposed approach is to combine actions targeting strengthening institutional capacity (climate-proof coastal planning and water management; climate data collection and analysis) with actions targeted towards the main users of natural resources so as to provide them with resilient and no-regrets adaptation options. Activities in this project are expected to deliver tangible poverty reduction benefits as a means of addressing the root cause of vulnerability in the region.
The project has three major components: 1) strengthened capacity for policy making, planning, and scientific capacity for adaptation, 2) rehabilitate key buffer ecosystems, and 3) improve climate forecasting and early warning systems.