Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) is the use of biodiversity and ecosystem services as part of an overall adaptation strategy to help people to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change. EbA addresses the crucial links between climate change, people, biodiversity, natural resources and ecosystem services. It includes adaptation policies, and multi-level approaches to reduce the vulnerability and improve the resilience of ecosystems.
EbA is an emerging adaptation strategy that can also be applied to improve sustainable groundwater management. The overall aim of EbA in groundwater management is to preserve the quantity and quality of groundwater, and to improve the role of groundwater in ecosystem services for the benefit of present and future generations. It thereby mitigates the impacts on groundwater under changing conditions including, but not limited to, climate change. The sustainable use of groundwater comprises both the adapted management and the effective protection of groundwater environments. Understanding groundwater in its environmental context is therefore fundamental.
