Using forest ecosystems to build resilience in Chile

Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) is an increasingly popular and tested strategy among governments looking for the best ways to help their people adapt to the challenges of climate change. The Ecosystems Protecting Infrastructure and Communities (EPIC) project in Chile promoted ecosystembased disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR) and EbA approaches, researching how nature-based solutions (NbS) build resilience and the protective role of native forests facing avalanches and landslides. Examining the experiences of the EPIC project, this briefing demonstrates how EbA can effectively tackle climate change and reduce the risks of disaster. It also explores some of the wider opportunities and challenges around local, regional and national policy, institutionalisation and capacity related to implementing EbA and Eco-DRR in Chile, proposing key steps for overcoming the challenges.