Nature plays a vital role in building resilience to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters. The focus of this thematic strand is promoting ecosystem-based adaptation in multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder alliances, as well as empowering local communities through the use of digital data for sustainable water(shed) management.

Marine ecosystems, resources, and species do not respect national borders. The effects of marine pollution and degradation are felt by us all. To conserve, and sustainably use ocean and marine ecosystems therefore requires integrated, and coherent approaches. By looking at marine ecosystems in their totality, policy makers can ensure that interventions are well aligned in order to address the cumulative impacts of unsustainable human activities.

Healthy soils are a prerequisite for sustainable food production, carbon storage and the provision of clean drinking water. Under this theme we focus on some of the underlying socio-political dynamics and other structural challenges that limit smallholder farmers from investing in soil restoration and protection. Based on locally embedded research with our partners in several African countries, we develop, and pilot, "social innovations" to overcome the identified structural obstacles. We also explore the enabling conditions for scaling up sustainable land management, at local and ecosystem levels.