How will Eastern Africa meet the challenge of a changing climate? What adaptations will be needed to match agriculture and forest governance with future climate realities? How can the resilience of key water towers provide for local livelihoods as well as regional biodiversity? How can watershed services be sustained in the face of increased weather variability and extremes?

AdaptEA is a multidisciplinary study in Uganda and Kenya with two field locations in each country. The four sites are in close proximity to Mount Elgon, a unique provider of forest ecosystem services, representing four different regimes of forest governance and community access. Using an ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) approach, this project integrates a review of climate change adaptation policy with local-level analyses of stakeholder vulnerability and forest conditions, and modeling of climate impacts on forest and tree-based ecosystem services, in promoting resilience of smallholder agriculture production.

AdaptEA seeks to develop and disseminate policy recommendations and approaches to enhance adaptation of local stakeholders to climate change through sustainable management and use of forests and trees.

This document is an output of a CIFOR-led project, entitled: "Adaptation of people to climate change in East Africa: Ecosystem services, risk reduction and human well-being". (AdaptEA). This project is being implemented in collaboration with Makerere University, the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) and the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF). Primary funding for this project was provided through a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation (2011 CRD 306). Complementary funding was received from two CIFOR-led projects funded by AusAID (63560) and UNITAR (G.EGP.2011.03). Additional project information and publications are found on the project manager’s staff page, Aaron J.M. Russell.