ALM UNDP

Summary:

###### Background

Colombia has been found to be very vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The first national communication (NC1) to the UNFCCC has indicated the highly vulnerable character of the country to the expected impacts from climate change .

The NC1 identified high mountain habitats, insular and coastal areas and health as the areas of primary concern. More recently, studies commissioned as part of the preparation of the second communication and others have confirmed and indicated in more detail trends and impacts in these areas. These vulnerabilities find echo in the findings of the IPCC. Major vulnerabilities are described below. Highland Andean ecosystems are very vulnerable to climate change impacts. In particular, fragile moorlands, unique to the Northern Andes, with endemic and abundantly diverse flora and fauna, as well as with storage capacity for water and carbon in the soil are expected to be seriously affected by increases in temperature. Sea level increases will cause saline intrusion into aquifer-based freshwater supplies in insular areas. Consequently, the freshwater systems and their biological diversity will be under a tremendous threat. Increases in sea surface temperature have been linked to the bleaching of corals in the Caribbean and are expected to induce a pole-ward shift of local fisheries.

The two mosquito-borne diseases with the largest global impact on human health and well-being, dengue and malaria, have recently reemerged as significant public health burdens in Colombia. Policies and measures that address climate changes need to be mainstreamed into national sector policies to ensure their sustainability. The uncertain and insufficient knowledge and information on GCC makes a society more vulnerable to changes in climatic patterns and prevents the adoption of cost-effective adaptation measures.

The project development objective is to support Colombia’s efforts to define adaptation measures and policy options to meet the expected impacts from climate change.

This will be achieved through:

* a) improvements to the knowledge base (documenting trends and impacts);
* b) assessing the expected consequences of GCC on strategic ecosystems;
* c) identifying and assessing measures and policy options to adapt to the effects of climate change as well as development projects within which adaptation can be mainstreamed.

These efforts will be focused on high mountain ecosystems, insular areas and on health concerns related to the expansion of areas for vectors linked to malaria and dengue, all these have been identified as priority areas in the National Communications and other studies