Preparation of three diagnostic studies within the 'Powering Resilience' project in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

AAE is working with IMPACT to carry out a series of studies investigating livelihoods based on natural resources and climate adaptation strategies in selected communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). IMPACT is an independent non-profit that aims to investigate and develop approaches for natural resource management to enhance security, development, and equality.

IMPACT's 'Powering Resilience' project aims to increase the resilience of communities in DRC that are adversely affected by climate change and mining, particularly for critical minerals essential to the green transition. The project aims to strengthen the capacity of local populations to restore and preserve their ecosystems, particularly tropical forests, woodlands and savannah areas. Special attention is given to women's leadership and to harnessing indigenous knowledge to help communities adapt to the impacts of climate change. The "Fostering Resilience" project is funded by Sweden for four years.

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AAE’s team will determine the baselines and starting point of the project. The expert team will lead three diagnostic studies that will serve to identify Ecosystem Based Adaptation (EbA) solutions that could provide alternative sources of income for a number of communities in DRC and identify existing knowledge and strategies for adapting to climate change. Our expert team will direct the data collection by creating consultation instruments that a group of local NGOs will apply on-site. A rapid environmental assessment will investigate the vulnerability of the different communities, potential ecosystem services and local and indigenous knowledge and resilience, amongst other things. The results of this study will provide guidelines and programmatic orientation for the implementation of ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) solutions during the second year of the "Fostering Resilience" project.

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