Identifying and Prioritizing Knowledge Gaps in Climate Change Adaptation in the Andes

Andy Jarvis Director, Decision and Policy Analysis, International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)

The Joint Action

NWP OBJECTIVE:improve the understanding & assessment of impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate changePURPOSE OF CIAT’S PLEDGE:to remove knowledge barriers that impede action on climate change adaptation

HOW?A collaborative action pledge:

UNEP: developed new methodology to quickly and efficiency identify and prioritize knowledge gaps

CIAT/CCAFS piloted the methodology at a workshop in Bogotá Multidisciplinary stakeholders gathered to identify and prioritize knowledge gaps on climate

change adaptation in the Andean sub regionOUTPUTS:Refined methodology A prioritized list of:

50 knowledge gaps related to CC adaptation Proposed solutions to fill the gaps and institutions

capable of doing so

to guide action on climate change adaptation

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>99% of the world’s tropical glaciers are situated in the Andes

Vital source of freshwater for irrigation, agriculture, hydropower, and household and industrial uses

Climate change impacts: Higher temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns and ENSO, and higher likelihood of extreme weather events

Adaptation strategies necessary, but constrained by knowledge gaps

Current Knowledge

The methodology

What does the methodology entail?

Methodology proved to be a quick and efficient way to identify and prioritize knowledge gaps and can be applied to identify gaps in other regions and other subjects

Code Brief description of gapTotal

scorea Rank

G9 Gaps in integrated research on the effects of climate change on ecosystem services and their relationship with the quality of life for populations

50.19 1

G45 Mechanisms for including adaptation in current planning tools

49.12 2

G15 Lack of data and information on health and associated variables, and on the impact of climate change on health in the Andean Region

48.66 3

G20 Lack of economic information and cost-benefit analyses of needs for adaptation

48.61 4

G31 Absence of mechanisms for promoting processes for multisectorial adaptation.

48.41 5

Example of the ranking procedure

Actions to address the knowledge gapsInstitutions and actions with the capacity to do so

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Urgency (rapidity of determining actions over the short term)

Influences policy-making and management procedures (includes cross-sectorial nature of the gap)

Supports ecosystem resilience Sustainable short-term benefit Positive effects on populations, goods, and public

services with no major negative effects Scale of impact on closing the gap Additional benefits for other gaps (conditioning for

closing other gaps) Ease of filling the gap Helps reduce uncertainty

9 criteria applied for prioritization of knowledge gaps

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1)Lack of integrated research on the effects of climate change on ecosystem services and their relationship of these services with the quality of life of regional populations

2)Mechanisms to include adaptation in current planning tools

3)Lack of data and information relating to climate change impacts on human health in the Andean region

4)Lack of economic information and cost-benefit analyses relating to climate change adaptation

5)Absence of mechanisms for promoting processes for multi-sectoral adaptation

Top 10 Knowledge Gaps

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6) Gaps in socioeconomic information for evaluating the impacts of climate change

7) Scarcity of sectoral analyses on the costs of climate change and requirements for adaptation investment

8) Gaps in information on tools for territorial and land use planning

9) Gaps in the analysis of social variables and the supply of and demand for water under various climate change scenarios

10) Scarcity of information and analyses on the impact of climate change on agricultural and livestock production systems

Top 10 Knowledge Gaps

Conduct research on the demand and supply of ecosystem services and the impacts of extreme events on these

Conduct research on techniques for rainwater harvesting and storage as well as on the water dynamics of high altitude Andean ecosystems

Study the occurrence, distribution, and existence of genetic diversity of in situ Andean crops and landraces.

Conduct cost-benefit analyses of adaptation measures and studies on the impacts of climate change on sectoral and national economies

Explore sectoral planning tools and their up-scaling potential

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Selected workshop suggestions on how to close knowledge gaps

Research analysis conducted by CIAT in the context of the UNEP-funded REGATTA initiative

Evaluated impacts of climate change on agriculture and water availability and explored the population’s adaptive capacity to cope with the impacts

Outcome: biophysical and socioeconomic information to inform decision makers to develop and implement policies for the rural sector in the Andean region

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How can we close knowledge gaps?

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Vulnerability, Impact and Adaptation Analysis

Vulnerability and multi-dimensional poverty indicators

12http://dapa.ciat.cgiar.org/policy-briefs/

South-south learning: Seeing is believing and facilitates knowledge transfer

13http://www.unep.org/south-south-cooperation/case/casedetails.aspx?csno=141

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The three highest ranked knowledge gaps emphasize the urgency to focus research, policy and adaptation efforts on: •Climate change impacts on ecosystems and the resulting effects on human settlements and activities, •Develop mechanisms to include climate change adaptation in current planning tools, and•Identifying how climate change will affect human health in the Andes.

Key Messages

Systematically plugging knowledge gaps through NWP and LAKI

DIMENSIONS and TOPICS ProblemWATER-RELATED ECOSYSTEM SERVICESEffects of climate change on water-related ecosystem services, and their relationship with the quality of life of populations

Need to better understand the effects of climate change on water ecosystem services in the countries of the sub-region, for cities, agricultural systems and hydropower.

PLANNING-Adaptation in current planning tools to deal with impacts of CC on water-Mechanisms for setting water resources adaptation priorities in different sectors and among them.-Tools and information for territorial planning and land use

- Scarcity of mechanisms for including adaptation in current planning tools

- No mechanism for setting adaptation priorities in water resources for different sectors and aligning with other sectors

- No mechanisms for systematic process for sharing lessons learned and transfer of adaptation practices between sectors

- Gaps in information on tools for territorial planning and land use

- Need to systematize processes of incorporation of climate variables in short-, medium- and long-term national planning, use the lessons learned toward generating indicators or useful methodological proposals for national, sectoral and sub-national planning.

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Thank you for your attention!

Any questions or comments?Any Questions?

18Contact: Andrew Jarvis

A.jarvis@cgiar.org