The project, dubbed "Adaptation and Vulnerability - Strengthening Transdisciplinary Engagement for Climate Resilience (AV-STEC)," seeks to empower wetland communities through nature-based solutions and collaborative adaptation strategies.

Since 1999, the spillage of excess water from Burkina Faso's Bagre Dam, which was commissioned in 1992, has had severe impacts on downstream communities in Ghana.

Although controlled release is crucial for the structural safety of the dam, it has become increasingly destructive due to erratic rainfall patterns and climate change.

Each year, the overflow from the White Volta River floods more than 28 districts across seven regions in Ghana, damaging infrastructure and farmland, displacing thousands of people, and disrupting livelihoods and essential social
services.

The AV-STEC project is a response to this transboundary water management crisis, which highlights the need for climate-adaptive infrastructure and coordinated flood mitigation efforts between Ghana and Burkina Faso.
Funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and CLAIRE, the project is jointly led by the Centre for Biodiversity Conservation Research at the University of Ghana, York University in Canada, Start International in the USA, and Naturama in Burkina Faso.

The overarching goal of AV-STEC is to strengthen the adaptive capacity of vulnerable communities in Ghana's Upper East, North East, and Savanna regions, as well as parts of Burkina Faso, through inclusive, sustainable, and locally driven approaches.

At the core of the initiative is a transdisciplinary model that brings together scientists, policymakers, local leaders, and community members to co-create nature-based solutions.

These solutions aim to reduce climate-related risks while enhancing biodiversity, ecosystem health, and sustainable livelihoods.

The project will also promote the development of equitable and community-owned management structures by pursuing six key objectives.

These include assessing current climate vulnerabilities in the affected areas, identifying barriers and enablers to local adaptation and co-developing inclusive nature-based adaptation strategies.

Others are piloting practical livelihood support interventions, enhancing stakeholder capacity and awareness on climate issues, as well as sharing knowledge and best practices to shape policy and scale successful interventions.

As flooding continues to threaten lives and livelihoods along the Volta Basin, the AV-STEC project presents a timely, holistic approach to building climate resilience in some of Ghana and Burkina Faso's most vulnerable communities.