Disclaimer:
Please be aware that the content herein has not been peer reviewed. It consists of personal reflections, insights, and learnings of the contributor(s). It may not be exhaustive, nor does it aim to be authoritative knowledge.
Title
Please provide a name for your action learning plan.
Local nature-based solutions
Challenge statement
Challenge type: If you are working on multiple challenges, please indicate if this is your "big bet" or "exploratory" challenge.
Please note: we ask you to only submit a maximum of 3 challenges - 1x Big Bet, 2x Exploratory. Each challenge must be submitted individually.
EXPLORATORY
Challenge statement: What is your challenge? (Please answer in specific terms: "Our challenge is that...”.)
Jordan is facing many environmental challenges that are being addressed with minimal understanding and implementation of local nature-based solutions
Background: What is the history of your challenge? What is causing or driving it? Who is involved? How does the current situation look like? What undesired effects does it produce?
Jordan is one of the highly affected countries in the climate crisis context and is considered the poorest country in water resources. Many organizations are working on addressing different environmental issues but not much when it comes to local solutions. Many actors are involved, to address this challenge including UNDP, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, and local startups, local CBOS/NGOs.
One of the undesired effects is that UNDP and others put a lot of funding and time into high tech and sometimes high cost trends, such as hydroponics, which we are recently realizing may not be the most effective long term solution. This may be avoidable if we are able to find lower cost local, traditional, and more sustainable solutions. Furthermore, local communities are not fully engaged and involved in different projects implemented by various donors in the country. This results in limited impact in local communities.
Quantitative evidence: What (official) data sources do you have on this challenge that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge? You can add text, a link, or a picture.
Clearing House Mechanism website (Ministry of Environment): https://jo.chm-cbd.net/cooperation-1/laws-and-regulations
Economic Modernization Vision: https://www.jordanvision.jo/en
Aqaba Ecotourism development plan: https://www.undp.org/jordan/publications/aqaba-ecotourism-development-plan
Qualitative evidence: What weak signals have you recently spotted that characterizes its urgency? Please provide qualitative information that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge. You can add text, a link, or a picture.
One rare example of the potential of supporting and testing nature-based solutions with local knowledge and practice is a project UNDP Jordan worked on in 2017 focusing on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) of genetic resources. The project mapped local and traditional knowledge throughout the country to preserve its natural heritage. The mapping showcased many potential nature-based solutions that would interest the lab.
There is also evidence from global research that nature-based solutions are effective but also need to have more focus on their impact on local communities and make use of local knowledge. Please see links below.
https://www.undp.org/publications/abs-genetic-resources-sustainable-development
https://www.undp.org/publications/access-genetic-resources-and-benefit-sharing-theory-practice-under-nagoya-protocol
https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/explainers/what-are-nature-based-solutions-to-climate-change/
Value proposition: What added value or unique value proposition is your Accelerator Lab bringing to solving this challenge? Why is it your Lab that needs to work on this challenge and not other actors within UNDP, other stakeholders in the country respectively? Why is it worth investing resources to this challenge?
The Accelerator Lab has the capacity and skills to explore and map local knowledge and practices (solutions mapping), which distinguishes the lab from other departments. We have the advantage that the UNDP Jordan environment team has previously worked on different projects with a limited focus on nature-based solutions. One of the projects ended after funding was spent, but the team would have liked to continue working on it if they had the capacity and funding. The other project is ongoing. So we have in-house knowledge, experience, and interest in this topic, and we can build on these assets.
Short “tweet” summary: We would like to tweet what you are working on, can you summarize your challenge in a maximum of 280 characters?
How did Jordanians hundreds of years ago work in harmony with nature to minimize land erosion and impact on the ozone? To answer this, the UNDP Jordan Accelerator Lab wants to understand and test adaptations of indigenous knowledge and practice for local environmental challenges.
Partners
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Al Dissi Women Cooperative
What sector does our partner belong to?
Civil Society
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
This women led CBO is working in the heart of the desert focusing on nature based solutions that are found in the local area of Al Dissi and Wadi Rum. The lab is planning on cooperating with this CBO to pilot and scale different interventions.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
No
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Ministry of Environment
What sector does our partner belong to?
Government (&related)
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
The Lab intends to contact the Ministry to explore different nature based solutions that were previously mapped. Adding to that, the Ministry of Environment is the focal point of the Nagoya Protocol that regulates any interactions with flora and fauna with the scientific research aim.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
No
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN)
What sector does our partner belong to?
Civil Society
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) is mainly working on nature conservation whilst integrating livelihoods and income generation. This could benefit our interventions that are nature based and ensured its sustainability.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
No
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority
What sector does our partner belong to?
Government (&related)
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
The lab is planning to explore Aqaba as one of its target locations for the nature based solutions. This is because Aqaba is the only coastal city in Jordan and is run by the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
No
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Royal Botanic Garden
What sector does our partner belong to?
Civil Society
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
The Royal Botanic Garden (RBG) previously conducted many mapping exercises and published various reports focusing on nature based solutions. The entity could provide their technical support and feedback.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
No
Learning questions
Learning question: What is your learning question for this challenge? What do you need to know or understand to work on your challenge statement?
What is the added value of traditional indigenous knowledge and practices in addressing environmental challenges in Jordan? Is any of this knowledge and practice nature-based? Who has these solutions? How do we find this information? How can we take the existing work to another level through experimentation?
To what stage(s) in the learning cycle does your learning question relate?
Sense, Explore, Test
Usage of methods: Relating to your choice above, how will you use your methods & tools for this learning question? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
These tools and methods will help us find ancestral knowledge passed down to locals and which ancestral practices they are still applying, work with locals to come up with experiments, and test them together.
Existing data gaps: Relating to your choice above, what existing gaps in data or information do these new sources of data addressing? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
These sources of data address the missing understanding of indigenous knowledge and how Jordanians used to work with nature to minimize harmful effects on the environment. The value added is that this information is not usually collected at UNDP and other development actors, in addition to the fact that experiments are not often done.
Closing
Early leads to grow: Think about the possible grow phase for this challenge - who might benefit from your work on this challenge or who might be the champions in your country that you should inform or collaborate with early on to help you grow this challenge?
Local CBOs that address environmental challenges.
UNDP Jordan Environment team
Ministry of Environment
Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature
END OF ACTION LEARNING PLAN: Thank you! The form saves automatically and your submission has been recorded. You may now exit this window.
7Affordable and clean energy
8Decent work and economic growth
17Partnerships for the goals
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