CCS Launches Nature-Based Solutions Cost-Benefit Tool for UNDP LAC Partners
June 17, 2025. The Center for Climate Strategies (CCS) recently joined the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for a virtual session introducing Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) country partners to a new decision-support tool for evaluating the costs and benefits of nature-based solutions (NbS) for climate adaptation.
The session brought together UNDP country staff to build familiarity with the tool, which was designed by CCS to address a persistent barrier to NbS implementation: the lack of accessible, user-friendly tools to assess the costs and benefits of NbS despite data and capacity gaps.
CCS Senior Policy Analyst Holly Lindquist delivered a live demonstration of the Excel-based tool, guiding users through its stepwise structure—from selecting high-risk sectors and climate impact drivers, to comparing multiple NbS alternatives using economic and climate risk indicators. The tool provides automated inputs for GDP and climate risks based on a selected country in the LAC region, as well as default costs and benefits for specific NbS based on the ecosystem of choice, while also enabling customization based on user-supplied data.
The tool’s structured approach is designed to empower governments and development partners to screen and prioritize adaptation investments that maximize benefits, enhance local resilience, and align with national climate plans. It covers a range of biomes and NbS strategies relevant to the region, from mangrove restoration and forest rehabilitation to watershed protection and agroforestry.
This presentation marked a key milestone in CCS’s collaboration with UNDP to support climate adaptation planning in the LAC region. The country teams’ feedback will be incorporated into ongoing refinements of the tool, and the additional data they provide from their countries will strengthen the tool’s relevance and usability in accurately providing localized project scoping information.
By equipping policymakers with practical tools for decision-making, CCS continues its mission to translate climate science into actionable, locally grounded solutions that deliver measurable resilience benefits.
READ MORE on the UNDP NbS project page
