In Brief

  • Challenge: SDG 13 Challenge
  • Challenge Type: SFI Future Innovator Prize
  • Status: Active

The Challenge

WECOAdapt is exploring the relationship between urban development, water and the ecosystem in Tanzania. It will enhance the resilience of communities vulnerable to climatic and anthropogenic stress. WECOAdapt focuses on reducing and preventing negative impacts of floods and droughts and of unsustainable urban development. It will work on reversing the degradation of water and land resources, and the decline in biodiversity. 

The Solution

In different parts of the project will: validate and test ecohydrology models in five pilot sites in Dar es Salaam; co-design adaptation pathways and options with the community and stakeholders in five Water-Land-Climate Co-design labs (applying a participatory backcasting methodology); and co-develop sustainable adaptation finance mechanisms for supporting the implementation of adaptation options. WECOAdapt will bring a new approach to adaptation planning to improve management of drought and floods and the understanding of ecosystems of sub-Saharan cities. 

UN SDG Alignment 

13 Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts 

The Team

  • Team Lead: Dr Liana Ricci, University College Dublin
  • Partner Country Team Lead: Prof. Gabriel Kassenga, Ardhi University, Tanzania
  • Team Co-Lead: Dr Fiachra O'Loughlin, University College Dublin

Societal Impact Champion

  • Dr Timothy Ndezi, Centre for Community Initiatives, Tanzania