Strengthening existing climate services and prioritising new opportunities for nature-based solutions

Abstract

Abstract Co-production is essential for usable and useful climate services, yet expert-driven, supply-side approaches and limited engagement persist. We investigate the relationship between users’ current climate-service use and desired needs for completely new climate services for nature-based solutions in Sub-Saharan Africa, based on 530 interviews. We found a 39–53% overlap between current use and desired need priorities (Cohen’s Kappa 0.4–0.5, p < 0.0001). Stakeholder type did not predict use–need overlap (rate ratios 0.95–0.99, p > 0.08), though location did (0.88–1.27). Nearly all respondents (96%) reported using or needing climate services, but these services require strengthening through integration of knowledge systems and improvements in accessibility, timeliness, skills, trust, and climate-change literacy. Gaps between current use and desired needs point to priorities for new climate services, including integrated climate-risk information and community and digital sharing channels. Simply asking users what they need may blur the distinction between strengthening existing services and identifying genuinely new needs.