Accelerated climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution and land degradation present a real and present danger to the natural resource base on which we depend for our survival. Numerous studies show that these increasingly existential threats are affecting societies in ways that are much more severe and multifaceted, than previously predicted. Nature-based solutions – such as the sustainable management of watersheds, restoration of forests, or mangrove conservation – offer systemic responses to today's complex developmental challenges.
This research programme explores how to strengthen multi-actor collaboration and other enabling conditions to fully harness the power of adaptation as a sustainable solution for entrenched challenges in the agrifood and other critical sectors.
Hard Talk Adaptation
This dialogue series explores critical themes of climate risk and resilience, uniting diverse voices to accelerate transformational adaptation and answer one of the most urgent questions of our time: When a 1.5 to 2.6°C world becomes a reality, how must policies and systems evolve to confront a new landscape of risk and forge resilient societies?
Nature-based Adaptation
Alliance building and community empowerment for climate adaptation and resilient livelihoods.
Nature plays a vital role in building resilience to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters. The focus of this thematic strand is promoting ecosystem-based adaptation in multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder alliances, as well as empowering local communities through the use of digital data for sustainable water(shed) management.
Projects
Sustainable Soil Management
Creating enabling environments for sustainable soil and land management practices
Healthy soils are a prerequisite for sustainable food production, carbon storage and the provision of clean drinking water. Under this theme we focus on some of the underlying socio-political dynamics and other structural challenges that limit smallholder farmers from investing in soil restoration and protection. Based on locally embedded research with our partners in several African countries, we develop, and pilot, "social innovations" to overcome the identified structural obstacles. We also explore the enabling conditions for scaling up sustainable land management, at local and ecosystem levels.
Strengthening water user associations through digitalization: A field experiment in Southern Maharashtra
Harnessing Digitalisation for Water Governance. Key insights from India
Digitalisation in Water Governance for Agriculture: Lessons from the field in India
Linking biodiversity conservation to human rights: A much-needed conversation at CBD 15
With a little help from my friends: TMG and partners at the UNOC 2022
Poetry meets food research
Report
Mining the Untapped: Autonomous Climate Adaptation and Social Innovation in Informal Systems
Over a billion people today live in informal settlements, where climate risks are acute yet innovation thrives. This paper explores how informal systems connect to social innovation and resilience—and why decision-makers must meaningfully support them.
Written by Maitreyi Koduganti Venkata, Samuel Greene, Martin Rokitzki, Moritz Hauer, Emily Robertson
Published on Feb 16, 2026
Report
What COP30 Means for Adaptation under the Paris Agreement: Implementation and the Global Goal on Adaptation
COP30 marked a shift from framework-building towards implementation under the Paris Agreement. We take stock of COP30’s adaptation outcomes, what remains unresolved in the global architecture, and what this means for the next phase of implementation.
Written by Agustin Carrizosa, Frederike Klümper, Emily Robertson
Published on Feb 16, 2026
Policy Brief
A Digital Decision Support Tool for Water Users’ Associations
This policy brief introduces E-PAVAS, a digital app designed as a decision support tool for Water Users’ Associations (WUAs) to improve efficiency, transparency, accountability, and participation.
Written by K. J. Joy, Neha Bhadbhade, Kiran Lohakare (SOPPECOM), Larissa Stiem-Bhatia (TMG Research)
Published on Nov 29, 2024
Policy Brief
A Digital Decision Support Tool for Water Users’ Associations_Marathi
This policy brief introduces E-PAVAS, a digital app designed as a decision support tool for Water Users’ Associations (WUAs) to improve efficiency, transparency, accountability, and participation.
Written by K. J. Joy, Neha Bhadbhade, Kiran Lohakare (SOPPECOM), Larissa Stiem-Bhatia (TMG Research)
Published on Nov 29, 2024
Info Brief
E-PAVAS: Supporting Water Users’ Associations through Digital Solutions
SOPPECOM has collaborated with TMG Research to explore how digital solutions can support equitable and sustainable water governance.
Written by Nature-based Solutions Team
Published on Jul 03, 2024
Working Paper
Digitalisation in Water Governance for Agriculture: Lessons from the field in India
This report seeks to identify how local institutions can best use digital tools to make water governance more effective and inclusive, for sustainable water use and climate-resilient crop planning.
Written by Neha Bhadbhade, K.J. Joy, Sarita Bhagat, Kiran Lohakare, Larissa Stiem-Bhatia, Dipankar Aich
Published on Jan 24, 2024
- Adaptation Feb 16, 2023
The Face of Hunger
The Face of Hunger was produced by TMG’s partner organization Food Agency Cape Town and featured during a panel discussion.
- Adaptation Nov 04, 2021
Scaling and Financing Ecosystem-based Adaptation
Scaling and Financing Ecosystem-based Adaptation
- Adaptation Sep 22, 2021
Roadmaps for scaling up Ecosystem-based Adaptation: Insights from Guatemala and India
Roadmaps for scaling up Ecosystem-based Adaptation: Insights from Guatemala and India
- Adaptation Apr 22, 2021
Ecosystem-based Adaptation: Perspectives from Guatemala
A short film showing different perspectives from Guatemala about what Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) can mean
- Adaptation Mar 22, 2021
Lecciones aprendidas Adaptación basada en Ecosistemas (AbE) en Guatemala
Live recording of event on ecosystem-based adaptation in Guatemala, 18 March 2021 (in Spanish)
- Adaptation Jun 12, 2020
Building alliances for Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) in Guatemala
A short film showing the importance of building alliances for Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) in order to upscale nature based solutions more broadly
- Adaptation Jun 12, 2020
Creando alianzas para la Adaptación basada en Ecosistemas (AbE) en Guatemala
This video shows the importance of building partnerships around Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) as a way to scale up nature-based solutions in general