Implementing Pilot Climate Change Adaptation Measures in Coastal Areas

Submitted by andrea on Mon, 2010-04-19 11:09
View the full country profile for Uruguay
Project:
Implementing Pilot Climate Change Adaptation Measures in Coastal Areas of Uruguay
Summary:

The coastal area of Uruguay is crucial to national development, comprising almost 80% of the GDP. From an ecological point of view, Uruguay’s marine domain is a complex mosaic of interacting ecosystems in the La Plata River estuary and adjoining maritime front, with high habitat diversity, including sandy beaches, cliffs, rocky cape, wetlands and coastal lagoons and high species biodiversity particularly of migratory bird species. Most of the policies, projects, and programmes implemented to date have focused on addressing problems within a framework that essentially assumes “unchanging” climatic conditions even though Uruguay has considerable exposure to climatic risks . Thus, under climate change scenarios, baseline measures to conserve coastal ecosystems will not be sufficient. The coping range of key coastal ecosystems will be exceeded and considerable losses of globally significant biodiversity and coastal assets can be expected. The project will contribute to remove the current barriers to adaptation by putting in place adaptive land planning and coastal management policies and practices to enhance the resilience of Uruguay’s coastal ecosystem to climate change.

Adaptation Experience:

To achieve this, the project will deliver the following outcomes: i) incorporate climate-change risks into national land-use processes and key sectoral regulations governing coastal areas; ii) pilot at the local level specific policies and measures that can be included in current land-use planning processes to protect those coastal ecosystems that are particularly vulnerable to climate-change and that are important for biodiversity conservation; iii) capture lessons from this project and facilitate replication in other parts of Uruguay’s coastline which will also likely be affected by climate

Results and Learning:

The NGO El Abrojo was sub-contracted to develop an awareness-raising programme during the second semester of 2009 on the impacts of climate change on coastal areas, targeted at schools from 6 coastal departments through especially elaborated thematic games and interactive activities.

Sustainability:

The Vulnerability and Risk Assessment (VRA) to be undertaken as part of this project will gather relevant information to answer questions such as “to what degree do you think that (the project intervention) will continue after the project concludes” (user’s guide to the VRA). The project is in the early stages of its implementation but has already generated information and trained stakeholders with a view to ensuring project sustainability. A number of further activities (courses and workshops) to support sustainability are planned. However, the design of the project is based on providing mechanisms that will ensure sustainability e.g. the incorporation of vulnerable areas into land use plans and the adjustment of instruments for vulnerable areas. Monitoring of this post-project will be undertaken as part of municipal activities.

Replication:

It is imperative to coordinate efforts and cooperate with other initiatives involved in climate change in order to increase benefits and feedback for ongoing activities. In this sense the project is transferring expertise to stakeholders and other projects such as:

  • Municipal governments
  • Regional Study of the Economics of Climate Change, including the economics of coastal areas of Uruguay.
  • SNRCC (National System to Respond to CC)
  • CC territorial project including 2 coastal municipalities (Montevideo, Canelones, San José).

Rethinking Agriculture in the Greater Mekong Subregion

Submitted by andrea on Wed, 2010-03-31 05:22
Author(s):
Johnston, R.M.; Hoanh, C.T.; Lacombe, G.; Noble, A.; Smakhtin, V.; Suhardiman, D.; Kam, S.P.; Choo, P.S.
Year:
2009
City:
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Publisher:
Report prepared for the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency by the International Water Management Institute.
Pages:
118
Summary:

Innovative thinking on agriculture in the Greater Mekong Subregion will help nations meet rising food demands, protect environments and prepare for climate change.

Nations of the Greater Mekong Subregion need to ‘rethink’ their agricultural industries to meet future food needs, given the social shifts and climate changes that are forecast for the coming decades. With better farming practices, and by managing agriculture within the wider context of natural ecosystems, nations could boost production and increase the wealth and resilience of poor people in rural communities.