South Africa is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate variability and change, increasing the frequency and severity of drought, floods and wildfires. This threatens the ecosystems that underpin urban and rural livelihoods and the economy. Well-managed ecosystems have the potential to reduce the severity and risk of these extreme events, especially for vulnerable rural communities.

The objective of the project entitled “Scaling up ecosystem-based approaches to managing climate-intensified disaster risks in vulnerable regions of South Africa” is to alleviate climate change impacts and environmental degradation through scaling up ecosystem-based approaches. The proposed GCF project will undertake: i) rehabilitation of vulnerable catchments; ii) integration of ecosystem-based approaches into settlement planning and disaster risk reduction; and iii) upscaling ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (Eco- DRR) approaches across South Africa. The project Concept Note was submitted to the GCF in September 2019 and endorsed in November 2019, at which time SANBI was invited to submit a PPF request.

PPF support from the GCF is sought to fill in gaps in terms of information, stakeholder consultations and assessment of potential adaptation options, and to develop the full Funding Proposal. The following PPF studies will be undertaken, some of which can be done remotely, and some of which will require on-the-ground consultations at the local level:

1. Selection of Candidate Implementation Sites
2. Baseline Study and Vulnerability Assessment
3. Feasibility Assessments and Detailed Project Design
4. Environmental and Social Studies and Management Plan
5. Gender Analysis and Gender Action Plan
6. Stakeholder Engagement
7. Risk Assessment and Mitigation Plan
8. Project Logframe, Monitoring and Evaluation Framework and Identification of Project-level Indicators
9. Full Funding Proposal write-up