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Coastal Ecosystems
Coastal Zones and Climate Change
Submitted by andrea on Tue, 2010-04-20 04:05Year:
City:
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Summary:
This volume examines various climate and environmental stresses on coastal areas of the Indian Ocean. It assesses the risks to coastal ecosystems and infrastructure, and evaluates the opportunities and obstacles for technological innovations and climate adaptation strategies. The volume explores how policies and institutions must evolve to ensure the sustainable management of coastal resources.
Implementing Pilot Climate Change Adaptation Measures in Coastal Areas
Submitted by andrea on Mon, 2010-04-19 11:09
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).
WWF case study: The Coral Triangle and Climate Change: Ecosystems People and Societies at Risk
Submitted by tianyili on Sun, 2010-04-11 20:17Summary:
Stretching across six countries in Southeast Asia and Melanesia (Indonesia, the Philippines,
Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Timor Leste), the Coral Triangle contains the
richest marine ecosystems on earth.
Coastal ecosystems in the Coral Triangle are already being impacted by warming, acidifying and
rising seas. Coral reefs have experienced severe mass bleaching events across the region, which, if they increase in intensity and frequency, threaten to seriously degrade these important ecosystems. Mangroves face similar problems with rising sea levels threatening their future. With the build up of coastal infrastructure, there is no place for mangroves to retreat. The downstream effects on human beings of losing these critical coastal ecosystems are enormous.
There are a number of actions, which, if implemented by regional and world leaders, will avoid this crisis.
Adaptation Experience:
Results and Learning:
Analysis of the potential impacts of climate change on the Coral Triangle leads to a number of policy actions for international leaders to consider. First and foremost we must prioritise significant CO2 emission reduction in order to reduce the severity of the effects we can otherwise expect - leading us toward the best case rather than worst case scenario. This is essential as even the best case scenario is rife with challenges to communities and natural resources in the region, with very signifi cant losses to be expected. Second, climate change adaptation strategies must be applied as rapidly as possible, since delays in applying these strategies will result in insurmountable change, missed opportunities, reduced options and a more daunting task with less chance of success.
Sustainability:
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Replication:
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Implementing Pilot Climate Change Adaptation Measures in Coastal Areas of Uruguay
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Project details
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Implementing Agency and Partnering Organizations:
UNDP, National Directorate of Environment, at the Ministry of Housing, Territorial Regulation and EnvirnomentSummary:
Background
Project Components:
- Level 1) Information Gathering, Identification and Monitoring of critical exposed elements of coastal ecosystems and human settlements, including the provision of timely climate risk information, the identification of critical “hot-spots” or priority areas for the application of adaptation measures geared to monitor and reduce land-based sources of marine pollution, to increase the resilience of exposed assets and infrastructure-particularly in the tourism industry and to protect and restore critical coastal ecosystems- particularly wetlands from the impact of climate change.
- Level 2) Identify barriers to adaptation in coastal areas of Uruguay, design policy interventions for their effective and efficient removal, for the improved understanding of current and future climate risks and design pilot adaptation measures and capacity development packages for priority sectors and key stakeholders.
- Level 3) Incorporate Adaptation Policy into existing National Sustainable Development Policy, through targeted approaches to key sectors such as the tourism industry and other potentially vulnerable sectors to the impacts of climate change in Uruguay. Contribute to a National Adaptation Strategy for Coastal Areas in Uruguay, with an Action Plan designed to promote adaptation measures for critical exposed systems.
Expected Outputs:
Implementation of the pilot adaptation measures proposed as a result of the Block-A activity execution. Enhanced capacity for the identification of barriers to adaptation and the design of effective and efficient interventions to remove them. Enhanced capacity for the planning, stakeholder engagement, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of adaptation measures in Uruguay, to specifically address the sustainable development of coastal areas.
Timely information on changes in climate conditions, runoff and river discharges, coastal morphology and ecosystem health of wetlands in Uruguay, made available in useful form to decision-makers at the national and local level. Identified opportunities to mainstream adaptation to climate change into current and future decision-making processes, national policies, planning efforts, projects, particularly in the tourism sector.
Identified options available for transferring adapted technologies so as to meet the challenges of sustainable development of coastal areas in Uruguay by promoting the development of resilient society, economy, and ecosystems. Improved understanding by decision makers in the selected sectors (tourism, coastal resources, wetlands, water resources) on the importance of incorporating climate change considerations into decision-making and planning processes not only at the relatively short time scale (climate variability) but also at longer scales since climate change could cause the patterns of climate variability to differ from historical trends.
Contacts:
Project Contact Person
- Helen Coles de Negret
- Regional Technical Adviser UNDP-GEF Regional Coordination Unit
- Panama City, Panama
- Tel. and email: 507-3024508 helen.negret@undp.org
Project Status:
Under ImplementationPrimary Beneficiaries:
n/a
Israel - National Communication
Submitted by andrea on Fri, 2009-06-19 20:59
Summary:
Key Vulnerabilities
- Water Resources
- Agriculture/Food Security
- Biodiversity
- Publlic Health
- Energy
- Forestry Management
Potential Adaptation MeasuresRefer to the National Communication for the full range of current and potential adaptation measures.
Funding Source:
Cameroon - National Communication
Submitted by andrea on Fri, 2009-06-19 20:13
Summary:
Key Vulnerabilities
- Agriculture/Food Security
- Coastal Zones and Marine Ecosystems
- Public Health
- Land Resources
Potential Adaptation Measures
Coastal Zones and Marine Ecosystems
- Protect, including building sea walls, and beach nourishment
- Retreat
- Research/monitor the coastal ecosystem
