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Locally-led adaptation priority area

The risks faced by people and ecosystems in a changing climate vary from one locality to another. It’s partly a question of physical geography and partly a question of the human factors – social, economic, cultural – that make people resilient or vulnerable to climate hazards. That is why adaptation should be locally-led. Adaptation is most effective when it is centred on people’s human rights and driven by the knowledge and needs that local people, especially the most marginalised groups, bring to the table.

Feature
11th February 2026
Traditional knowledge driving local-scale business and biodiversity conservation in Central Benin The following blog by Ferdinand Ayimasse, Edmond Totin and Esdras Obossou of Survie de la Mère et de l’Enfant, one of CDKN's Knowledge-to-Action grantees explores how climate adaptation and biodiversity conservation are increasingly shaping Benin’s national environmental agenda.
Feature
2nd February 2026
Driving inclusive climate action: Insights from Namibia’s GESI workshop The following blog by Margaret Angula and Ester Nangolo explores the work done by the CDKN Namibia team to strengthen Namibia’s capacity to mainstream Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) while decentralising climate change adaptation from national to local government levels.
Resource
28th January 2026
Technology, tradition and co-existence: How one CDKN partner is working with local communities to monitor and manage their environment CDKN has been working with Nature and People as One (NaPO), a CDKN knowledge-to-action grantee, since 2024, to support their work on ecosystem restoration and governance by Indigenous pastoralist communities in Mt. Marsabit, a semi-arid region of northern Kenya. NaPO advances locally-led solutions that integrate indigenous knowledge, community stewardship, and sustainable ecosystem management. This photo story documents their Herder Conservation Network (HCN) initiative, which equips local pastoralist herders with the technical skills and technology to monitor and steward community lands outside formal protected areas.
Feature
19th January 2026
Building a circular economy: Transforming Ghana's e-waste crisis This blog by Khiddir Iddris, a fellow collaborating with CDKN, explores Ghana's urgent e-waste crisis, highlighting both the environmental dangers and the untapped economic potential within its informal recycling sector. The article is based on the author’s ongoing research conducted across Ghana's major e-waste processing sites. It presents a compelling case for building a sustainable, circular economy that empowers local workers and positions Ghana as a regional leader in climate-resilient waste management.
Resource
15th January 2026
Struggling to mainstream climate issues? Lessons learnt from CDKN’s knowledge brokering experience A learning resource that synthesises insights from CDKN’s knowledge brokering work across Asia and Africa since 2018. It identifies seven common challenges to mainstreaming climate change into policy and decision-making and illustrates practical, context-specific pathways for overcoming them. The resource draws on partner reflections, interviews, and learning exchanges to support practitioners working at the climate–development interface.
Feature
20th December 2025
Isn’t it time to rethink and transform the COP model? In this reflective blog, Karen Hildahl of FFLA–CDKN questions what a more inclusive, just and collaborative COP model could look like. From inspiring grassroots innovations and Indigenous leadership to frustrations of stalled negotiations and inaccessible spaces, we're invited us to imagine a system where local actors lead, diverse knowledge is valued, and global processes to address our multiple crises are built on reciprocity, equity, and care for human well-being and the planet.
Resource
18th December 2025
Video: NaPO Conservation CUP The NaPO Conservation Cup is a unique initiative by Nature And People As One (NaPO), a grassroots organisation based in Karare, Marsabit County in northern Kenya and a CDKN Knowledge‑to‑Action (K2A) grantee. This video, produced in collaboration between NaPO and Routes Adventures, showcases the 2025 Conservation Cup, highlighting how sport and community action are being used to support environmental restoration and stewardship.
Feature
15th December 2025
Driving equitable ecosystem-based adaptation: Lessons from water funds in Latin America This blog, by Gabriela Villamarín and Karen Hildahl of FFLA-CDKN, explores how the Andean Water Funds Platform is implementing Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) measures with a Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) approach across Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The blog highlights the crucial role of community-led, participatory design and implementation in these initiatives, showcasing how water funds are addressing climate threats while fostering social equity for groups experiencing vulnerability.
Feature
8th December 2025
Towards resilience and equity: FFLA-CDKN aligns with Latin America’s water funds This blog, by Paola Zavala and Karen Hildahl, explores the recent strategic pivot by FFLA–CDKN toward supporting water funds in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. It explains how these long‑term financing mechanisms harness inclusive, multi‑stakeholder governance to protect watersheds and drive equity‑focused climate adaptation.
Feature
8th December 2025
COP30 nature agenda: Modest wins, missed opportunities, and the urgent case for coherent action COP30 was promising in its symbolism, with the over 900 Indigenous Peoples in the Blue Zone, and an agenda that elevated Indigenous voices, rights and nature finance. But by the close of the final plenary, there was only evidence of small incremental changes – not the bold and ambitious outcomes needed to support transformative change, say CDKN EbA Thematic Lead, Nadia Sitas, and CDKN Senior Technical Advisor, Mairi Dupar.
Feature
2nd December 2025
New UNFCCC Gender Action Plan finds nuance in women’s needs and opportunities By Mairi Dupar and Patricia Bamanyaki. Gender equality is currently under threat. Governments are sidelining it in policy making; international agreements and negotiated texts are backsliding on once accepted gender language; and donors are retreating from prioritising gender financing. Without bold and transformative action, the hard-won gains of women and marginalised groups risk being erased.