Rural communities in the semi-arid regions of the Volta basin are at an existential tipping point. Human- and climate-induced land degradation in wetlands and riparian zones of the basin undermine the livelihoods and well-being of local communities in multifaceted and complex ways. Thoughtful, sustained transdisciplinary and transboundary research and interventions are needed to develop locally relevant and appropriate responses.

Weather- and climate-related disasters have become more frequent in the basin with the impacts felt in Ghana and Burkina Faso. Flooding events have affected tens of thousands of people in Ghana alone, and unknown numbers in Burkina Faso.

Hence, there is a need to understand the evolving climate and weather patterns to inform decisions around dam discharge, and to warn and prepare communities.

In light of this need, Prof. Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu from the Centre for Biodiversity Conservation Research (CBCR) and Prof. Christopher Gordon from the Institute of Environment and Sanitation Studies, both at the University of Ghana; Mr. Idrissah Zeba from Naturama in Burkina Faso; Professor Joseph Mensah from the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change at York University; and Dr. Mary Thompson Hall from START International USA collaborated in a 2-year $1.4M project on Addressing Climate Vulnerability through Nature-Based Solutions using Transdisciplinary Engagement of Wetland Communities (AV-STEC).

This 2-year $1.4M project is part of IDRC’s Climate Adaptation and Resilience (CLARE) initiative and UK International Development research program that aims to enable socially inclusive and sustainable action to build resilience to climate change and natural hazards in Africa and the Asia-Pacific region. The overall goal of the project is to create safe spaces for sharing information and best practices between researchers and the local communities in a just and equitable manner to support local communities in adapting to the risks of climatic change. Specifically, the project aims to:

1. Collect baseline data on the current state of affairs by profiling the nature and characteristics of the climate-related and other linked vulnerabilities of people in the wetlands and riparian zones along the Black and White Volta rivers in Ghana and Burkina Faso;
2. Explore and understand the factors (socio-economic, cultural, environmental, and ecological) that are hindering or enabling the efforts of local communities in wetlands and riparian zones along the Black and White Volta rivers;
3. Co-create safe spaces for intersectional and gender-diverse community members and other stakeholders to co-develop appropriate best practices regarding nature-based solutions to their climate vulnerabilities;
4. Strengthen the capacities of researchers, community members, and other stakeholders in finding nature-based adaptation solutions, while bolstering the climate literacy and consciousness of local people and other stakeholders; and
5. Draw key lessons and best practices for project scalability and replication, knowledge mobilization, and policy formulation.

The project study areas include Northern Ghana and the Bagre Dam area in Burkina Faso. The research uses multiple methodologies for primary data collection that include in-depth interviews, focus groups discussions, ethnography, and quantitative surveys. Secondary data are collected from local and (inter)national publications by governments, non-governmental organizations, development agencies, academia, and meteorological agencies.

Climate scenarios are being developed using global climate models from the CMIP6 multi-model ensemble to asses potential future vulnerabilities. Quantitative and qualitative data are collected by administering questionnaires and conducting interviews and focus group discussions with the help of research assistants from University of Ghana and York University. Ecological studies are undertaken to document the use of wild plant and animal resources to model the potential impacts of flooding and climate change on the availability of these resources. The expected outputs and outcomes of the project include:

• A review of documents detailing the climate-related and other linked vulnerabilities of people in the wetlands and riparian zones along the Black and White Volta reivers in Ghana and Burkina Faso.
• Journal articles, together with timely press releases, to share findings with the local communities, funders, stakeholders, the public, and the academic community.
• Understanding of the use and dependence of people on biodiversity in the study areas .
• Improved knowledge about how key variables interact to undermine or foster the climate adaptation and resilience of local people as well as climate scenarios relevant at the local level.
• Development of transdisciplinary, multisectoral, and gender equality and socially inclusive (GESI)-sensitive climate resilient and adaptations strategies.
• Pilot projects co-designed and implemented in the study area to improve livelihoods and climate resilience.
• Improved climate literacy and consciousness among the local people and other stakeholders.
• Research capacity developed through training of graduate students in participating countries.

Ultimately, the engagement with local government officials, civil society organizations, and communities in co-developing responses and strategies for adapting to interlocking climate and non-climate vulnerabilities is expected to ensure a development legacy for this project.