APN Newsletter aug05 fileWater Agency,and the Ministry of Health and Welfare will be of great value to the APN and shows that he is very ... Point and SPG Member for New Zealand, was

APN NewsletterV O L U M E 1 1 , I S S U E 3 A U G U S T, 2 0 0 5

It was a hot summer day when Iarrived in Kobe to start work atthe APN Secretariat — threeyears ago. I am not sure where thepast three years have gone, but asthe proverb says, “time and tidewait for no man.” I am delighted tobe given this opportunity to say“goodbye” to all member country

national Focal Points, country and START ScientificPlanning Group members and Liaison Officers who allmake up the APN family; as well as our colleagues in theglobal change community, who continue to contribute tothe success of the APN.What’s more, I would like to ex-press my sincere thanks to those who worked with andsupported me during my term over the past three years.

I will be returning to the Ministry of the Environment,Japan, where I will take on new a role. Mr. Hiroki Hashi-zume has been seconded from the Ministry of the En-vironment, Japan as my successor. Mr. Hashizume will offi-cially take over as the Director of the APN Secretariatfrom 1 August 2005. I am confident his international ex-perience through his work with the Ministry of theEnvironment, the World Health Organisation, the JapanWater Agency, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare willbe of great value to the APN and shows that he is verysuitable to lead the Secretariat in implementing the APN’sSecond Strategic Plan.

When I arrived at the APN, its 10th anniversary was ap-proaching and preparations had already begun, however, itstill seemed to be so far away. Now, here we are, having al-ready completed our evaluation of the APN’s activities inthe past ten years, and have already entered into ourSecond Strategic Phase. In the past three years, the APNhas accomplished major achievements, milestones, if you

will.The establishment of a special, APN independent ac-count, which is subject to external audit, is both significantand timely, particularly as the APN has entered its secondphase. The reform of the Steering Committee (SC) hasalso been a noteworthy accomplishment, particularly asSC Members are now elected at the IGM by their col-leagues. This year, Dr. Andrew Matthews, national FocalPoint and SPG Member for New Zealand, was elected asSC chair for the next two years.The APN is now repre-sented by someone who was elected among our membercountries. This change will undoubtedly promote a newsense of ownership of the APN by its member countriesand help the APN to become a members’ driven network,in the real sense.With so many positive changes, I am con-vinced that the APN has become a well-acknowledgednetwork, not only among scientists in the Global Changecommunity, but also among many policy-makers and otherpeople working on issues related to Global Change.

It has been a privilege to work with such capable andknowledgeable staff, and to have the support and help ofexperts from within the extensive APN family.This has al-lowed me to accomplish my duties. I am fortunate to havegained international experience during the seven years Ispent in Jakarta (with JICA), Geneva/Dhaka (with WHO)and Tokyo (with UNU), before arriving at the APN; thisexperience was certainly an advantage in serving as theSecretariat Director of an inter-governmental network. Iam particularly grateful for the support received from theAPN’s long-term members; their expertise and experi-ence has been instrumental in the success of the APN.I would also like to express my heartfelt thanks to all thestaff of the Secretariat who have worked so hard to helpmake the APN the success it is today. As my time at theSecretariat concludes, I would like to wish the APN all thebest for the future and every success during the imple-mentation of its Second Strategic Plan.

Message from the Director

ACROSS2 The Marshall Islands are

heading up a regional strategyto phase-out these ozonedepleting substances.

3 A specific capacity-buildingneed in Samoa is ___inventory methodologies.

4 technologies including earth-and user-friendly technologymatched to the scale ofcommunity life

5 Theme of Fiji’s “EnvironmentDay” organised by the FijianDepartment of Environment.

7 USER established a __-community to facilitatecollaboration and the sharingand dissemination of data.

9 “E” stands for ____ in POETIC11 community managed,

integrated agro-aquaecosystems found in thecoastal lands of Goa.

12 LOICZ held an inauguralopening of the South AsianRegional Node in ___.

13 One of the four major globalchange networks that makeup the ESSP.

16 Meteorlogical data candetermine trends in

temperature and _____,among other things.

17 Scientific Capacity Buildingand Enhancement forSustainable Development inDeveloping Countries

20 used extensively as a source oflivelihood in many parts ofIndia

21 By incorporating ___management intodevelopment strategies,planning and governance of cities and urbanisingregions, decarbonisation isaccelerated.

22 An international network thatmeasures terrestrial carbonand water and energy fluxesacross daily to inter-annualtime scales.

23 The South Asia region is highlysensitive to global climatechange and ____.

24 In the last 30 years, annualflood events in Asia have____.

DOWN1 utilises pet bottles and

sunlight for drinking waterdisinfection

3 The goal of this project is todevelop a comprehensive,policy-relevant understandingof the global carbon cycle,encompassing its natural andhuman dimensions and theirinteractions.

6 In the South Asia region, thereis considerable ____ andtemporal variability intemperature and precipitation.

8 embankments10 Efficient ____, at all levels,

are needed in order tomanage natural resources.

14 a World Climate ResearchProgramme core project:Climate and _ _ _ _ .

15 The _____ final report wasadopted in December 2004and was formally presented ata side event to MCED5.

18 The APN is currently workingon an ____ tool that willassist in the writing ofproposals.

19 The production of ___contributes to high levels ofpollution because treatmentfacilities are not economicallyfeasible.

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IN THIS ISSUE:

Message from the Director 1

Crossword Challenge 1

Message from the SteeringCommittee Chair 2

News from the Secretariat 2

APN Out and About 4

Guest Article:The Global Carbon Project:Integrating the Natural World,Climate and Humans 8

APN Supported Projects:APN 2004-02-CMY — Climate Change and WaterResources in South Asia 10

APN 2004-07-CMY — Integrating Carbon Managementinto the Development Strategies of Cities: Establishing a Network of Case Studies of Urbanisation in the Asia-Pacific 11

APN 2004-12-NMY — Roles of Institutions in GlobalEnvironmental Change 12

CAPaBLE Programme Updates:2004-CB01-NSY — An Assessment of the Socio-economic Impacts of Floods underClimate Change Conditions in LargeCoastal Cities in South andSoutheast Asia 14

2004-CB04-CMY — Capacity Building Workshop onClimate Change Mitigation withLocally-owned Technology andSystems 15

Regional News 16

APN Liaison Officers 20

People and Projects 21

Calendar 23

Try the APN Crossword Challenge! All answers can be found throughout the newsletter, so readthe newsletter and then test your knowledge on Global Change. The solution will be posted onthe APN website one month following the newsletter publication.

C R O S S W O R D C H A L L E N G E

2 APN NEWSLETTER, VOLUME 11, ISSUE 3

P A G E 2

It is myhonour andpleasure toreport to youas theinauguralChair of theAPN SteeringCommittee

(SC).The SC has been tasked withrepresenting the APN communitybetween annual inter-governmentalmeetings, in addition to liaising withand providing advice to the APNSecretariat so that together, we canmaximise the benefit of the APN toour communities.

This new journey starts with thenew Framework document, alignedto our new strategic plan, anddevising ways of providing astronger connection to our Asia-Pacific community. Hopefully

through this outreach, as we identifythe needs and particular interests ofour APN members, we will be ableto engage in joint activities,leveraging new resources throughpartnerships, and therefore able toextend the work we are alreadysupporting. The new ResourceDevelopment Committee, a sub-committee of the SC, is tasked withproviding guidance to the SC, in thisdirection.

As you will have read in thisnewsletter, Mr. Sombo Yamamura,the Director of the APNSecretariat, has just completed histhree-year term and Mr. HirokiHashizume assumed this new role,effective 1 August 2005. I wouldlike to take this public opportunity,on behalf of all members of theAPN community, to sincerely thankSombo-san for his effort in helping

the APN evolve into a more matureand professional network during histenure as Director of theSecretariat. Sombo-san has beeninstrumental in guiding a formalreview of activities of the APN overthe last 10 years, as well as thedevelopment of the new StrategicPlan (2005-2010). He has also beena catalyst for the APN to activelyengage with other internationalnetworks involved in the sustainabledevelopment of our environmentand improving the welfare of ourcommunities. Sombo has activelypromoted the APN both in Japanand on the international stage, andfor this we are extremely grateful.I am sure all of those associatedwith the APN join me in thankinghim for his efforts and wish himwell in his new position in Tokyo.

Message from the Steering Committee Chair

Mr. Sombo Yamamura will leave theAPN after 3 years as SecretariatDirector. Mr.Yamamura was involvedin the development of the APN overthe years, including the establish-ment of a special APN independentaccount, an evaluation of the APN,preparation of the Second StrategicPlan (2005-2010), and the reform ofthe Steering Committee. On behalfof the Secretariat and the wholeAPN family, I extend our very bestwishes in your future endeavours.

Mr. HirokiHashizumestarted workat the APNSecretariat as Director,1st August.Hiroki is a

Japanese native, born in Sapporo,where he graduated from HokkaidoUniversity with a Masters inEngineering. Shortly after hisgraduation, Hiroki went on to workwith the Ministry of Health andWelfare, Japan in the Department ofWater Supply and Sanitation.Following his term with theDepartment, he held a position atthe Environment Agency, currentlyknown as the Ministry of theEnvironment, where he worked inthe Automotive Pollution ControlDivision. From there, Mr. Hashizumemoved overseas to the UnitedStates as a visiting scholar at

University of North Carolina atChapel Hill, Department ofEnvironmental Sciences andEngineering.After returning toJapan, Hiroki went back to work forthe Ibaraki Prefectural Government,Water Resources DevelopmentPublic Corporation and the Ministryof Health and Welfare (Office ofInternational Cooperation).Afterleaving the Ministry, Mr. Hashizumeworked in the Programme of Water,Sanitation and Health, Protection ofthe Human Environment, SustainableDevelopment and HealthyEnvironments,World HealthOrganization in Geneva (Jan 2001— Jul 2003). Incidentally, SomboYamamura was Hiroki’s predecessorat WHO, as well. Most recently,Hiroki was employed as theDirector of the Office of WasteDisposal Management, at theMinistry of the Environment, Japan.It is with great pleasure, that wewelcome Mr. Hiroki Hashizume tothe APN family. I am sure that withhis international experience, he willbe an asset to the APN and itscontinued success.

Ms. KanakoTaguchi hasleft the APNSecretariat to go onmaternityleave, afterworking for

four years as AdministrativeAssistant. Kanako was not onlyresponsible for much of the day-to-day administrative responsibilities ofthe Secretariat, but was also atremendous support to all of thestaff at the Secretariat, bothJapanese and international, alike. Onbehalf of the Secretariat staff andthe APN members, I would like towish Kanako all the best and for thesafe arrival of a healthy and happybaby.

Ms. NaoHoriguchistarted workat the APNSecretariat asAdministrativeAssistant 1stJune. Nao is aJapanese

native, born in Kobe. Before arrivingat the APN, Nao worked at theKobe International CommunityCenter where she was responsiblefor organising language seminars forresidents of Japan. She alsocounselled foreign residents, living inKobe, with immigration matters anddaily general enquiries. Nao’sinternational experience willcertainly be invaluable for her workat the Secretariat.

News from the Secretariat

The Asia Pacific Networkfor Global Change Re-search (APN)* is an inter-governmental networkwhose mission is to enableinvestigation of change inthe Earth’s life supportsystems as it occurs in theAsia-Pacific region to: 1. Identify, explain and pre-

dict changes in the con-text of both natural andanthropogenic forcing,

2. Assess potential regionaland global vulnerabilityof natural and humansystems, and

3.Contribute, from thescience perspective, tothe development of pol-icy options for appro-priate responses to globalchange that will alsocontribute to sustainabledevelopment.

*“The APN defines “global changeresearch” as “research regardingglobal change (the set of naturaland human-induced changes inthe Earth’s physical and biologicalsystems that, when aggregated,are significant at a global scale)and its implications for sustainabledevelopment in the Asia-Pacificregion.”

APN NEWSLETTER, VOLUME 11, ISSUE 3 3

P A G E 3

The Asia-Pacific Network for GlobalChange Research (APN) is an inter-governmental network whose missionis to enable investigation of change inthe Earth’s life support systems as itoccurs in the Asia-Pacific region to:

1. Identify, explain and predictchanges in the context of bothnatural and anthropogenic(human-induced) forcing;

2. Assess potential regional andglobal vulnerability of natural andhuman systems; and

3. Contribute, from the science perspective, to thedevelopment of policy optionsfor appropriate responses toglobal change that will alsocontribute to sustainabledevelopment.

The APN is inviting proposals forfunding from April 2006, and is ableto provide a limited amount offinancial support* for research andother activities that fall within itsareas of interest.

The 2005 Annual Regional Callfor Proposals (ARCP) involves anoptional pre-proposals stage, andthe APN recommends, in particular,

those researchers who have neversubmitted a proposal to the APNbefore. Details and format of pre-proposals are set out in the‘2005 ARCP — Guide forProponents.’

*The average grant awarded for 2005projects was approximately US$ 35,000

PLEASE BE SURE TO USE THE NEW, UPDATED GUIDE THAT REFLECTS THE NEW APN SCIENCE AGENDA.

At this time, copies are available for download on the APN website <http://www.apn-gcr.org> or are available by email, fax or post from the Secretariat.

For further information on the APN 2005 ARCP, please contact Dr. Linda Stevenson

Programme Manager for Scientific Affairs APN Secretariat, IHD Centre Building 5F

1-5-1 Wakinohama Kaigan Dori, Chuo-Ku Kobe 651-0073, JAPAN Tel: +81-78-230-8017 Fax: +81-78-230-8018

Email: [email protected]

1. General Scope of the2005 ARCP

The APN is prepared to supportactivities in the field of globalchange relating to:

1. Synthesis and analysis of existingresearch and new research whichaddresses knowledge gaps in keyareas;

2. Capacity building and networkingfor Global Change Research;

3. Planning and Scoping workshopsfor Global Change Research; and

4. The development of policyproducts such as integratedassessments, impact assessments,climate models, etc.

The APN will not support:

1. The running costs of institutions;2. The salaries of administration

staff or existing researchers whoreceive full-time salary support;and

3. The maintenance of long-termobservation and monitoringsystems.

2. Developing RegionalCooperation on GlobalChange Research

The primary goal of the APN is todevelop regional cooperation inglobal change research particularlyrelevant to the Asia and Pacificregion.Accordingly, projectssubmitted to the APN must involvesignificant regional cooperation.The APN will not fund one-countryprojects under the ARCP.

3. The New APN ScienceAgenda

The APN enables activities thatgenerate and transfer knowledge onthe physical and human dimensionsof change in the Earth System witha focus on:

1. Climate;2. Ecosystems, Biodiversity and

Land Use;3. Changes in the Atmospheric,

Terrestrial and Marine Domains;4. Use of Resources (such as food,

water, energy, materials) andPathways for SustainableDevelopment; and

5. Cross-Cutting Issues andScience-Policy Linkages.

4. Pre-Proposals (optional)

The APN Call for Proposals involvesan optional pre-proposal stage inorder to:

1. Provide assistance to proponentsin identifying suitablecollaborators in the region;

2. Provide opportunities tocombine similar proposals intobroader regional projects; and

3. Assist proponents on specificquestions they may haveconcerning their proposal.

The APN will respond to pre-proposals with feedback asappropriate.

The deadline for pre-proposals isWednesday, 20 July 2005,midnight — Japanese time.

5. Deadline for FullProposals

The deadline for full proposals isWednesday, 21 September2005, midnight — Japanese time.

6. Format for Proposals &Further Information

Guidance on the format of pre-proposals and full proposals is setout in the ‘2005 ARCP — Guide for Proponents,’which gives a detailed explanationof the proposals process, and thecriteria against which proposals arejudged.

APN 2005 Annual Regional Call for Proposals (ARCP)

Outline of Basic Eligibility and Guidelines for Application

In the 2005 ARCP,

APN Proposals must

involve at least 3 APN

approved countries,

2 of which must be

developing countries.


P A G E 4

*Call for Proposals under theCAPaBLE Programme

a. Capacity Building Projects b. Comprehensive Research Projects

for Capacity Enhancement

The CAPaBLE Programme is aconcrete initiative to realize parts107 to 114 of the Plan ofImplementation for the WorldSummit on SustainableDevelopment (WSSD). Of particularrelevance is part 111:

“Establish regular channels betweenpolicy-makers and the scientificcommunity for requesting andreceiving science and technologyadvice for the implementation ofAgenda 21, and create andstrengthen networks for scienceand education for sustainabledevelopment, at all levels, with theaim of sharing knowledge,experiences and best practices, andbuilding scientific capacities,particularly in developing countries.”

The APN launched its CAPaBLEProgramme in April 2003. Theobjective of the programme is to

develop and enhance scientificcapacity in developing countries toimprove their decision-making intarget areas related to globalchange, climate change and waterand food security that are directlylinked to their sustainabledevelopment. In the two years since its launch, remarkableachievements have been made(download the 10th IGM CAPaBLEPublication).

In July or August, the APN willlaunch a Call for Proposals intwo areas:

a. CAPaBLE Capacity BuildingProposals

This call will be for funding fromApril 2006 and proposals will relateto Global Change andSustainable Development withinthe APN’s areas of interest asoutlined in its Second Strategic Plan2005-2010 (http://www.apn-gcr.org/en/secondstrategicplan_final.pdf).

b. CAPaBLE ComprehensiveResearch Proposals (CRPs)for Capacity Enhancement

This call is for Phase II of theProgramme for ComprehensiveResearch Proposals with specificfocus on Climate Change and itseffects on Water and FoodSecurity as related toSustainable Development.TheAPN will be inviting proposals forfunding and will be able to providefinancial support for ComprehensiveResearch Projects that will run forup to 3 years.

Further Information Guidanceon the format for the proposals willbe available on the APN website<http://www.apn-gcr.org> oravailable by email from theSecretariat, in due course. Pleasecontinue to check the website forupdated information.

For further information on theCAPaBLE Programme itself, pleasecontact: Dr. Linda Stevenson < [email protected] >.

*This call is NOT related to the APN’sAnnual Regional Call for Proposals(ARCP) launched in June, 2005

26 April. Meeting with theNational Focal Point andScientific Planning Groupmember for Sri Lanka at theMinistry of Environment andNatural Resources.

27 April. LOICZ RoundtableSession on the implementationof LOICZ II with particularemphasis on the role of theSouth Asia node in Sri Lankaand the Southeast Asia node inSingapore.

During the last few years oftransition, LOICZ has been able tofind regional support in Singaporeand Sri Lanka to establish IPORegional Nodes.The one in Sri

Lanka was supported by NSFColombo and was officially openedon 28 April. On 27 April, a roundtable session was held and hostedby the Node in Colombo.Representatives included theLOICZ Node in Singapore,members from SASCOM andSARCS and the APN, to discuss thenext steps and possible links in theregion.The goal was to assist in theregional implementation of LOICZsince it is evident this will largelydepend on the institutionalinvolvement and the links toongoing activities.The opportunitygave those involved a forum togenerate a broad ownership for thescientific agendas of the future ofLOICZ II and set the stage for thedevelopment of a regionalimplementation plan. In light of thecomprehensive APN CoastalSynthesis, the APN played a crucialrole in the discussions and activelyparticipated to ensure concretefollow up in a couple of regionalworkshops, to be held later thisyear, and in regional activities during

the LOICZ II Inaugural OpenScience Meeting in the Netherlands27-29 June, sponsored by the APN.Furthermore, in light of the APN’sSecond Strategic Plan, which statesthat “The APN will engage indialogue with each of the mainglobal change researchpartners to strengthencollaboration in the Region,” theopportunity to participate in thissession was extremely positive interms of regional collaborativeactivities between the APN and theLOICZ II regional nodes.TheExecutive Director is also very keento have a MoU between thisIHDP/IGBP Core Project (i.e.LOICZ II) and the APN.

27 April. Field trip to thesouthwest coastal areasaffected by the tsunami

In the afternoon, on 27 April, wetravelled south along the west coastfrom Colombo to just outsideGalle.Two hours after leavingColombo, evidence of the tsunami

Scientific Capacity Building & Enhancement for SustainableDevelopment in Developing Countries

APN Out and About

APN ProgrammeManagers,

Dr. Linda Stevenson and Ms. Jody

Chambers, visit withthe National Focal

Point and SPG Memberfor Sri Lanka, and 2

Members of theInstitute involved in

APN Activities

Call for

Proposals

under the

CAPaBLE

Programme


P A G E 5

was visible; there were holes in theground, filled with rubble, wherehomes once stood and brokenfishing boats, which had beenwashed upon the shore, remained.Upon arriving in Bentota, at abeachfront resort, we had anopportunity to speak to some localsto find out what life has been likesince the tsunami.The resort wasonly reopened for business 2months ago and is still underrenovation from the damage causedby the tsunami.Very few guests arestaying there and employment hasbeen unreliable for previousemployees. Despite the devastationcaused by the tsunami, the beacheshave recovered well, as have manyof the local businesses in the area.As we drove further south, wewitnessed more and more proof ofdamage.Temporary housing wasprovided to house the victims thatlost everything to the tsunami; somelived in tents, provided by the RedCross or World Vision, others livedin community-like housing projects.Villagers had to walk to hugecisterns for fresh water andkerosene provided light at night.Wevisited the memorial site of thetragic train.The carriages, nowrusting and most of them a tangledmess of iron and wires, have beenput back on the tracks afterhundreds of rotting bodies weretaken out.Although the local peoplehave been through so much distress

and trauma they are all still smilingand happy to talk to anyone whoshows their support by visiting thecountry.

28 April. Workshop on Sciencefor the Coastal ZoneManagement organised by theNational Committee on LandOcean Interactions in theCoastal Zone and the NationalScience Foundation of SriLanka

The workshop, which was held atthe Sri Lanka Foundation Institute,Colombo, was opened with aWelcome Address given by Dr.M.C.N. Jayasuriya,Acting Director,and National Science Foundation ofSri Lanka. Dr. Hartwig Kremer,Executive Director of the LOICZCore Project (of IHDP/IGBP) thenpresented on the LOICZ II SciencePlan and Implementation Strategy;emphasizing the APN’s support forthe LOICZ II Open Meeting in June,2005, the Netherlands.

Other topics presented included:

s Establishment of South AsianRegional Node of LOICZ

s Presentation on the APNs Science Issues in Coastal Zone

Management in Indias Panel Discussion on Regional

Implementation of GlobalProjects and Programmes

s Coastal Zone Management Planin Sri Lanka, following the recentTsunami Disaster

s Fisheries Policys Tourism Policys Working Group Discussionss Opportunities for Collaboration

This meeting provided an excellentopportunity to meet many scientistsfrom various institutions in Colombowith interests in Coastal Zones andother global-change related areas.The APN material disappeared veryquickly and the participants werevery keen to talk with the APN,particularly about submittingproposals under both CAPaBLE andthe ARCP. This symposium providedan excellent opportunity fornetworking and increasing awarenessof the APN among some veryenthusiastic scientists.

4-5 June. ECO Asia 2005. 13thEnvironment Congress for Asiaand the Pacific. Gifu, Japan.On Saturday, 4 June, the 13thEnvironment Congress for Asia andthe Pacific was held in GifuPrefecture.The conference washosted by the MOEJ withcooperation from the MOFA andGifu City. National delegates from19 countries and representativesfrom 12 international organisationsattended the meeting.

The meeting was chaired by H.E.Koike Yuriko, Minister of theEnvironment, Japan. Minister Koikeoverviewed importantdevelopments on the environmentalfront in the recent years at theglobal and regional levels, as well asencouraging developments in Japan.She specifically touched upon theentry into force of the KyotoProtocol, the UN Decade forEducation for SustainableDevelopment (DESD), the 3RInitiative, the UNESCAP (MCED5)and the APFED. Minister Koike alsohighlighted about the importance ofsharing the spirit of mottainai withpeople in the region.

The Minister introduced theconcept of “Coolbiz” and asked forthe cooperation of the meetingparticipants.“Coolbiz” encouragesall government employees to wearbusiness casual (no ties and jackets)between the months of June andSeptember. By dressing down, theair conditioner can be set higher,therefore saving energy. Membersshowed support of the concept.

In Session 1, there were threepresentations from YamagataMunicipal Jr. High School in GifuPrefecture, staff from a Non-profit,Nature and Science organisation,and an employee of Nagoya Pulp

Presentation by Dr. Hartwig Kremer

Field trip photos of tsunami-hit Area: Train wreck, Housing Project, andDestroyed Structures.

Corporation.The presentationswere followed by discussions onactions and initiatives taken bycountries in the Asia-Pacific region.Two students introduced theirschool-wide environmentaleducation programme whichenabled hands-on interaction withthe environment. Mr. Matsumura ofthe Nature and Science org.reported on their initiatives such ascamps for city children to learnabout the environment and nature.Mr.Asano from Nagoya Pulp Corpreported on the issue of biomassresidues to boost energy efficiencyand reduce CO2 emissions from thecompany.

Session 2 began by hearing reportson the Asia-Pacific Forum forEnvironment and Development(APFED) and its future activities.The APFED final report wasadopted in Dec. 2004 and formallypresented at a side event toMCED5.The report consisted ofover 100 recommendations whichwere organised into 3 groups;Integrated Approach to SustainableDevelopment, Multi-stakeholderPartnerships and Major Sectors.Congress participants noted strongsupport for the majorrecommendations contained in thefinal report and stressed theimportance of follow-up actions toput the recommendations intopractice. Participants expressedtheir appreciation of the workcarried out by the APFED and highlyevaluated APFED’s strong record ofsuccess in bringing together diversevarious stakeholders in the APFEDanalysis and recommendations.Many participants gave updates andremarks about the activities taking

place in their countries.TheCongress was supportive of theinitiatives that countries in the Asia-Pacific region are doing to supportcapacity-building and sustainability.Mr.Yamamura spoke on behalf the

APN, introducing the network andinforming the Congress of theAPN’s mission, goals and agendas.Mr.Yamamura commented,“I wouldlike to inform you that the APN’sinter-governmental meeting, held inApril this year, adopted its newStrategic Plan (2005-2010). In theStrategic Plan, the APN’s scienceagenda has been expanded toinclude use of resources(food/water/energy/materials) andpathways for sustainabledevelopment.With this shift in mindand recognizing the focus onsustainable development by APFED,I think the APN’s new Strategic Planwill provide further opportunitiesfor researchers to follow up theimportant recommendations ofAPFED.”

In Session 3, Congress wasinformed about the progress ofAPEIS over the past three years ofthe three sub-projects; theIntegrated EnvironmentalMonitoring (IEM), IntegratedEnvironmental Assessment (IEA)and Research on Innovative andStrategic Policy Options (RISPO).The meeting welcomed theencouraging achievements made bythe three sub-projects and notedthe extensive partnership that hasdeveloped among the manyresearch institutes in the region.

Furthermore, the meetingwelcomed a new development ofAPEIS (APEIS II) which has beenprepared based upon achievementsmade over the last three years.TheCongress recommended that theproject maintain a close relationshipwith policy-makers to ensure policyrelevance and utilise research

outcomes in capacity building.Participants pointed out the needto translate the findings of APEISinto practice; hence, support of theproposal to strengthen linkagebetween APEIS and other policy-

fora such as APFED in the secondphase, was encouraged.

The Congress appreciated theleadership taken by the Japanesegovernment to raise the 3RInitiative to the international level.Participants welcomed thesuggestions made the Governmentof Japan to develop a vision to bringabout a sound material-cycle societyin Asia and promote capacitydevelopment for the 3Rs in theregion.The Congress also notedthat the importance ofmethodologies to evaluate theimplementation of the 3Rs and ofraising public awareness as well asfuture actions for e-wastemanagement.

10-19 May. CAPaBLE SamoaTraining Institute on Climateand Extreme Events.Apia,Samoa.

The 2-week workshop had anambitious agenda, which turned outto be very fruitful; not only byincreasing the capacity of Samoa todeal with climate and climateextreme events; but also by raisingawareness among key people thatSamoa is an approved country ofthe APN and can submit proposalsto the APN under both its ARCPand CAPaBLE Programmes.

In summary, the workshop achievedthe following:

s Enhancement of individualcapabilities;

s Increased knowledge aboutclimate and extreme events;

s Integrating climate informationinto sustainability, e.g., integratingclimate in environmental impactstatements;

s Exploration of climate changeissues, especially vulnerability andadaptation;

s Knowledge to support capacitybuilding at national andcommunity levels;

s Knowledge on the effects ofclimate change on waterresources to support betterplanning;

s Supportive adaptation andcapacity-building at communitylevels;

s Information to supportcommunity education andcapacity-building efforts; and

s Better understanding of climateimpacts on rainfall and waterresources.


P A G E 6

The 13th EnvironmentCongress for Asia

and the Pacific 4-5 June, 2005.

Gifu, JAPAN

“ I would like to inform

you that the APN’s

inter-governmental

meeting, held in April

this year, adopted its

new Strategic Plan

(2005-2010). In the

Strategic Plan, the APN’s

science agenda has been

expanded to include

use of resources

(food/water/energy/

materials) and pathways

for sustainable

development.”— Mr. Sombo Yamamura,

ECO Asia 2005. 13th Environment

Congress for Asia and the Pacific. Gifu, Japan.

The participants showed keeninterest in exploring theconsequences of climate variabilityand climate change for offshorefisheries (e.g., tuna) in order topredict changes and use as guidancefor management plans, integratinginformation about climate variabilityand change into environmentalmanagement (e.g., coastal erosionand forestry) and gaining knowledgeabout climate variability and change.There was also mention of lookingfor alternatives regardingcommunity re-location in thecontext of managing climate-relatedrisks (e.g., river flooding) and, ingeneral, enhancing education andcapacity building at the communitylevel. Other points noted in termsof achieving the goals of the traininginstitute were to:

s Gain a deeper understanding ofhow and why climate matters inSamoa, and the Pacific region;

s Provide feedback to Met Serviceson new climate forecastingproducts and services; identifyingapplications — ways in whichnew forecasts and services canhelp improve decision-making;

s Strengthen partnerships betweenMet Services and otherministries in Samoa;

s Take back something useful inour work which requires moreinteraction and fewer lecturesand presentations;

s Make connections betweenclimate change and localweather; and

s Explore the basic concepts in aSamoa-specific context.

On the last day of the traininginstitute, discussions took place interms of what participants hadlearned during the two weeks.Participants were asked to completea questionnaire, at the end of theworkshop, to evaluate its success;results were positive.The mainpoints of the discussion aresummarized below.

In order for the people of Samoa toattempt to make a difference inresponse to Climate and ExtremeEvents, the following need to beaddressed:

1. Challenges:

a. political influenceb. lack of resourcesc. inefficient financial resourcesd. underpaid and overworked staffe. networking with stakeholders

f. commitments of CEOs ofdifferent ministries; veryimportant — leadership

2. Adaptation Options

a. Consider “soft” adaptationoptions (changing behaviour) aswell as “hard” adaptation optionssuch as building seawalls, whichwas a successful endeavour inone of the local coastal villages(see photos)

b. Public awareness, reforestationand enforcing buffer zones aresuch soft (non-structural)adaptation options

c. Adopt bottom-up, community-based approaches, as well as top-down, government approaches(a–above is an example).

d. Pursue proactive planning anddecision-making as amainstreaming goal (versuscurrent, largely reactive decision-making)

3. Climate Change Bodiesand the APN

UNFCCCa. No mechanisms to enforce

emission reduction targets until acountry ratifies.

b. Despite non-ratification, severalcountries are ‘voluntarily’complying with Kyoto Protocolemissions targets (e.g.,Australiaand some states in the U.S.).

c. Even if fully ratified andimplemented by all countries, theKyoto Protocol targets are notsufficient to stop climate change;we are committed to somedegree of climate change in thefuture — hence the importanceof adaptation.

IPCCa. Difficulties associated with

limited participation by Samoa(only one representative at thelast meeting); a problem sharedby many/most developingcountries — only one or twoPacific Island countries routinelyparticipate in IPCC.

b. Another set of difficultiesinvolves the IPCC’s requirement

that only peer-reviewed articles,published in scientific/technicaljournals, can be used by IPCC —often a problem for mostdeveloping countries.

c. Fourth Assessment Report tocome out in 2007.

d. Copies of the 1st, 2nd and 3rdAssessment Reports, as well as aSynthesis Report, are available inhard-copy and on CD at theMeteorology Division.

e. All IPCC documents are alsoavailable on the IPCC websiteand made freely available todeveloping countries. There isgood reference material but,it also has some limitations vis-à-vis: the resolution of themodels that are used to projectchanges; absence of country-specific information; chapter onsmall island developing states issomewhat limited — hoping formore detail in the FourthAssessment Report.

f. Reference to IPCC MethodologyDocuments such as “GoodPractice Guidance for Land Use,Land-Use Change and Forestry”and guidelines for greenhousegas emissions inventories.

g. Note that Pacific Islandparticipation in the FourthAssessment Report hassomewhat been enhanced: SmallIsland Developing States chaptersin all three IPCC workinggroups; Pene Lefale one of thelead authors for the small islandschapter in working group II; USPscientists (e.g., Professor Lal)were also involved, as well as

scientists from scientific/technicalorganizations in the region.

h. The need to apply somepressure back on IPCC to find waysto recognize insights gained fromcommunity-based adaptationprojects as well as working toincrease the number of Pacific Islandarticles published in peer-reviewedjournals. Melchior notes that thereare some Pacific journals atUniversity of Hawaii, University ofGuam and USP — need to be proactive in gettingarticles submitted and published —especially in regional journals.i. Problems of documenting and

recognizing the differences inimpacts — and understanding —among islands — not all islandsall the same.

APNa. Linda Stevenson highlighted that

in order to be published in peer-reviewed journals, researchneeds to be carried out, whichmeans securing funds.

s The APN has received noproposals from Samoa,although Samoa is anapproved country and eligiblefor funding. Participants wereencouraged to submitproposals for research and/orcapacity building.

s An APN liaison officer forOceania is based in Fiji atUSP and can be of assistance,although proposals need tobe submitted to the APNSecretariat directly.


Field Trip Photos: Community level sea-wall adaptation project shown by the Village Chief (centre). Sponsored bythe Samoan government climate change team at the grass-roots level.

Participants in working groups discussing potential proposals forsubmission to the APN


P A G E 8

The Global Carbon Project:Integrating the NaturalWorld, Climate and HumansAuthor: Josep Canadell

Background

The four major global researchenvironmental programs, IGBP,IHDP,WCRP and DIVERSITASestablished the Global CarbonProject in 2001, under the commonumbrella of the Earth System

Science Partnership.The partnershipcalls for innovative linkages amongthe sciences to respond to thecomplexity of the global

environment and the challenges ofenvironmental risks in key areas ofwater, food, carbon and humanhealth (Fig. 1).

s Training in proposal writing is an element of capacitybuilding that would beparticularly valuable.

s The APN is currentlydeveloping an e-learning toolfor writing proposals.

s Participants should nothesitate to contact the APN Secretariat (LindaStevenson), the Oceania APNLiaison Officer and otherresource persons at theinstitute who have beensuccessful in getting APNprojects in the Pacific funded.

s One specific capacity-building need in Samoa wasidentified as GHG inventorymethodologies; support forpreparation of NationalCommunications.

These concluding remarks led togreat enthusiasm, so the agenda waschanged in the afternoon toaccommodate a 2-hour workinggroup session on writing proposalsfor the APN.This was very usefulfor the participants who had a widearray of ideas considering grassroots (bottom-up) approaches andtop-down approaches to ClimateChange and Climate Extremes.Local communities in Samoa aretaken seriously when it comes totheir needs in terms of climate adaptation.The chiefs arelistened to and their decisionssupported and implemented(assuming funding is available).

Each participant was then awardeda certificate for completing anextremely intensive TrainingInstitute on Climate and ExtremeEvents.

In conclusion, not only do I expectto see a number of proposals fromSamoa in the future, I sensed a keeninterest for Samoa to approach theAPN and join as a member countryrather than an approved country.

Award Ceremony — Certificates awarded by Eileen Shea

APN Programme Manager forScientific Affairs and Liaison Officerfor Oceania meet with the nationalFocal Point for Fiji.

APN ProgrammeManager payscourtesy call onPACE, USP, Fiji

Guest Article:

Figure 1. The Programmatic ESS Partnership

Goal and Mandate

The goal of the Global CarbonProject is to develop a com-prehensive, policy-relevant under-standing of the global carbon cycle,encompassing its natural and humandimensions and their interactions.Our efforts are organized accordingto three themes:

Patterns and Variability:What are thecurrent geographical and temporaldistributions of the major pools andfluxes in the global carbon-climate-human system? What are theconfigurations of demographic,organizational, eco-environmental,technological, institutional, andcultural features of social life thataffect carbon emissions and land-use change?

Processes and Interactions:What arethe control and feedbackmechanisms — both anthropogenicand non-anthropogenic — thatdetermine the dynamics of thecarbon cycle?

Carbon Management: What are thedynamics of the carbon-climate-human system into the future, andwhat points of intervention andwindows of opportunity exist forhuman societies to manage thissystem?

The GCP implements this agendaby:

s developing a research framework for integrating thebiogeochemical, biophysical andhuman components of the globalcarbon cycle,

s providing a global platform forfostering coordination amonginternational and national carbonprograms to improve the designof observations and researchnetworks, data standards,information transfer, and timingof campaigns and process-basedexperiments, and thedevelopment of model-datafusion techniques,

s fostering research on the carboncycle in regions that are poorlyunderstood, but have thepotential to play important rolesin the global carbon cycle,

s encouraging research that inte-grates social, political, economic,technological, and cultural factorsthat explain the human-naturalenvironment relationship,

s synthesizing and communicatingnew understanding of thecarbon-climate-human system tothe broad research and policycommunities.

Research Portfolio

The GCP has established a numberof activities to support itsimplementation plan.Among themwe include a) enhancingcoordination of ocean cruises, datastandards and sharing, b) developingmultiple constraint data assimilationtechniques for global and regionalcarbon budgets, c) assessing thevulnerability of the carbon cycle inthe 21st century, d) studyingrelations between urban andregional development, greenhousegas emissions, and land-use change,and e) conducting case studies ofurban and regional carbonmanagement.

Among these activities, particulareffort is being paid to the develop-ment of two initiatives which aredescribed in more detail below.

Vulnerabilities of the carbon cycle inthe 21st century

Earth system processes that causecarbon loss to the atmospherecould greatly accelerate climatechange during this century. Some ofthe most vulnerable pools on landand oceans are: soil carbon inpermafrost, soil carbon in high- andlow-latitude wetlands, biomass-carbon in forests (trees and soils),methane hydrates in the coastalzone, and ocean carbonconcentrated by the biologicalpump (Fig. 2). Preliminary analysesindicate a risk over the comingcentury that may be larger than 200ppm of atmospheric CO2, rivallingthe expected release from fossil fuelcombustion (Gruber et al. 2004).Such a massive release ofgreenhouse gases would result inhigher concentrations ofatmospheric CO2, acceleratingclimate warming, and potentiallystimulating even greater losses ofcarbon from vulnerable pools.Therisk of large losses from these poolsis not well known, and is notincluded in most climatesimulations.

At present, there is nocomprehensive analysis of the sizeof vulnerable pools on land and inthe oceans, and their potentialdynamics during this century; nor isthere an assessment of theirpossible collective feedbacks toclimate change.The GCP has

established a number of workinggroups on vulnerabilities (startingwith permafrost and peat lands, thelatter funded by the APN) toaddress limitations of informationon:

s spatially explicit sizes of thepools,

s credible algorithms for simulatingthe vulnerability of these poolsto climate change,

s trends of future forcing, both inwarming and land-usetrajectories, and for the latter, anunderstanding of the drivers ofland-use change and potentialfeedbacks with climate change,

s potential human feedbacks thatcould make these pools more orless resilient.

Urban and Regional CarbonManagement (URCM)

The GCP has established acomparative and historical approachto urban, regional and global carbonfootprints, their determinants,trajectories and managementopportunities. Its four spatial“shells” include the city, as entity; itsvicinity, most food, products, andlabor exchanges occur; its regionalzone of influence; and, the globe asthe total embodied carbon fluxes.URCM presents a framework forplace-based carbon cycle researchthat conceptually links numerousscientific explorations of population,social organization, eco-environmental conditions, socialinstitutions, and culture as they varyover time and place and theirimpacts on carbon-climate-humandynamics.The heuristic device of


P A G E 9

Figure 2. Magnitude and Vulnerability of C pools on land and oceans (SCOPE-GCP synthesis: Gruber et al. 2004).


P A G E 1 0

This project was funded by the Asia-Pacific Network for Global ChangeResearch (APN) and receivedpartial support from the HansenInstitute for World Peace, SDSUResearch Foundation, and San DiegoState University. In addition, theycollaborated in research ondissemination of project results,particularly to the grassrootsfarmers in drought/flood affectedareas, using a multi-media approach.Furthermore, the InternationalSTART Secretariat was activelyinvolved with the project frombeginning to end.

The South Asia region is highlysensitive to global climate changeand variability.This region heavilydepends on the precipitation of thevariable regional monsoon as wellas water derived from glacial melt inthe Himalayas, both of which areaffected by climatic change. Thethree-year project,“WaterResources in South Asia:AnAssessment of ClimateChange-associatedVulnerabilities and CopingMechanisms” (2004-02-CMY-Muhammed) awarded in 2002,focused on the analysis of historicdata on climate variability andchange, projections for future

climate scenarios and their impactson regional water resources andrelated socio-economic issues.The main activities of the projectincluded (1) analysis of recentexperience in climate variation andextreme events including impact andvulnerability assessments, (2)adaptation analysis and assessmentthrough field surveys/studies inselected hydrological units inparticipating countries, and (3)stakeholders meetings to discussmeasures to reduce vulnerability ofthe region’s water resources toclimate and socio-economic change.

Meteorological data from theparticipating countries (Bangladesh,India, Nepal and Pakistan) for theperiods 1930-1960 and 1961-1990was analysed to determine trends intemperature and precipitation.Thedata was also used to determinethe scenarios projected for theperiod 2020-2050. Impacts ofclimate change on the availability ofwater resources, especially foragricultural production in the aridregions, was studied.The experienceof the residents in the drought andflood affected regions was analysedthrough stakeholderinterviews/participation. During theinterviews, emphasis was placed on

the effectiveness of the mitigationmeasures adopted in the past andthe recommendations for future. Inthe final year of the project,meetings were held with relevantexperts and policy-makers toinform them of the results of theproject. Participants took part infield studies with the aim to preparerecommendations for future actionplans to meet the challenge ofimpacts of climate change on waterresources and associated socio-economic aspects.

There is considerable spatial andtemporal variability in bothtemperature and precipitation overthe region.Analysis of airtemperature has shown an overallwarming trend, although there aresub-regions where some cooling hasbeen observed, especially in themaximum temperature.Thewarming trend was morepronounced in the mountainousHimalayan regions. Further data isneeded for remote areas includingthe mountain regions for which asystematic effort is needed in orderto prepare reliable climatesurface/maps delineating varioussub-zones with similar trends intemperature and precipitation

the P-O-E-T-I-Cs of humansettlements directs attention to thesystemic configuration ofPopulation, Organization,Eco-environment, Technology,Institutions, and Culture (Figure 3).

For the purposes of carbonmanagement, understanding howthe underlying social causes of land-use change and fossil fuel emissionsare interrelated and whichconfigurations are most influential inproducing unfavorable net carbonemissions levels, is critical.Moreover, a place-based(regional/urban) approach isappropriate for managementbecause places differ in theconfigurations of causal conditionsand management options.

A number of case studies have beenestablished in the Asia-PacificRegion and in the Americas andnew case studies are being soughtas contributions.

Contact

The GCP has two internationalproject offices, one in Australia([email protected]) and one inJapan ([email protected]).In addition, there are regional anddisciplinary contributing efforts inChina, Europe, the US, and at theInternational Ocean CarbonCoordination Project (IOCCP),based in Paris. For furtherinformation please visit the GCP website:www.globalcarbonproject.org.

Figure 3. Place POETICs CausingLand-Use Change and GHGEmissions

APN Supported ProjectsClimate Change and Water Resources in South Asia (2004-02-CMY)Amir Muhammed4

*Principal Investigator; President,Asianics International, Islamabad, Pakistan

“ The South Asia

region is highly

sensitive to global

climate change and

variability. This region

heavily depends on the

precipitation of the

variable regional

monsoon as well as

water derived from

glacial melt in the

Himalayas, both of

which are affected by

climatic change.”


P A G E 1 1

Integrating Carbon Management into the Development Strategies of Cities: Establishing a Network of Case Studies ofUrbanisation in the Asia-Pacific (APN2004-07-CMY)Rodel Lasco

The way urbanisation and urbantransformations unfold over thenext several decades in the Asia-Pacific and other parts of world,may have profound implications andconsequences for carbon stocks andfluxes.This may in turn, furtherconstrain, if not undermine, urbandevelopment processes and growth.The challenge to maintain urban airquality with continuing economicgrowth, while also minimisingemissions, disruptive to regional airsheds and the global climate-atmosphere system, will increaseand so will the demand for effectiveactions. Finding pathways oftransformation for regions andurban areas that are less carbon-intensive would therefore be highlydesirable, especially, if they can stilldeliver social development gains andaspirations to the developing world.

This APN project, “IntegratingCarbon Management into the

Development Strategies of Cities:Establishing a Network of CaseStudies of Urbanisation in the Asia-Pacific,” was implemented from April2003 to March 2005, with fundingsupport from the Asia-Pacific GlobalChange Research U-TURN or theUrban Transformation andUrbanisation Research Network(http://www.sea-user.org/carbon_management).The project’soverall goals were to explore howcarbon management can beintegrated into developmentstrategies of cities and to understandthe present trend, possible scenariosof urbanisation and urbantransformation in the region.Whilemost research on greenhouse gasemissions has emphasised improvinginventories and analyseddevelopment policy implications ofconsidering incentives for alternativetechnologies, energy sources andland management, this project wasunique in at least two aspects. First,

it strongly emphasised theintegration of behavioural, culturaland institutional understanding withthe conventional emphasis oninventorying and modellinggreenhouse gases and atmosphericpollutants. Second, it attempted tounpack the processes of“urbanisation” and “urbantransformation” and theirconsequences for urbanmanagement.These are based on thepremise that a more socially andpolitically nuanced understanding ofunderlying causes and constraints onresponses will provide greater policyrelevance to biophysical andtechnologically oriented research onemissions and the carbon cycle.

Launched through an initial planningin Manila in September 2003, theproject’s first activity was thedevelopment and initial test of aresearch protocol for thecomparative study of the cities and

urbanising regions of Jakarta, HoChi Minh City, New Delhi, MetroManila and Chiang Mai.The sharedresearch protocol has since beenrevised and refined.The Unit forSocial and Environmental Research(USER), of Chiang Mai University,established a web community tofacilitate collaboration and thesharing and dissemination of data.An electronic web-conference wasorganised, in June-July 2004, toassess or work-in-progress on thecase studies, as well as to provideopportunities for researchers inother regions, particularly Europeand North America, to contribute.In January 2005, the research teams,together with U-TURN networkleaders and experts from Singapore,Japan and the USA, participated in asynthesis meeting in Chiang Mai,Thailand.The meeting was an idealplatform for discussion of the casestudies, the draft crosscuttingsynthesis report, and wrap-up of the

change during different climateseasons of the year.

Analysis of precipitation datarevealed an overall increase in totalprecipitation. However, there is agreat variability in the onset andretreat of monsoon and intensity ofprecipitation at various locations.Availability of total water resourcesand the impact of climate change onthis critical commodity were alsoassessed in the national studies. It isestimated that the per capitaavailability of water in mostarid/semi-arid regions is already low,and is projected to drop further. Ifthis occurs, these regions are likelyto face a severe crisis, especially foragriculture production. Floods in thenortheastern part of the sub-continent and severe drought in thewestern part are linked to excessivemonsoon rains and a lack ofmonsoons (erratic rainfalls,departures from the normal rains,etc.) in successive years, respectively.

Field surveys were conducted in theselected hydrological units in thevillages affected by drought or flood.The following perceptions fromlocal farmers were considered:(1) the causes and frequency ofoccurrence of extreme events,(2) measures adopted by theaffected population, (3) governments

and NGOs ability to cope with thesituation, (4) and the impacts ofsuch extreme events. Farmers weregenerally dissatisfied with themethods used to forecast extremeevents, delayed communication ofinformation to affectedcommunities, and the lack ofemergency and other assistanceprovided to help affected peoplecope with serious disasters.

Stakeholders meetings were held toreview the results of climate changeand field studies and to developrecommendations for the future tomanage (1) anticipated climatechanges, (2) extreme flood anddrought events, and (3) severewater shortages in arid areas. The

main recommendation from themeeting concerned the delineationof sub-zones in the sub-continentwith similar patterns of temperatureand rainfall change in order tomitigate the adverse effects. Sucheffects could be mitigated bydeveloping (1) land-use systems, (2)technological development for floodand drought forecasting, and (3)public health measures appropriateto the anticipated climate change. Itwas also recommended that thenumber of meteorological stations,especially in the remotemountainous areas, should beincreased so that a more elaboratepicture of climate change could bedeveloped.The need for climateresearch, which is largely non-

existent in countries of the region,except India, was also emphasised.

Judicious use of underground waterreserves was emphasised to meetthe likely severe shortages of water.The need to establish NationalGround Water Authorities wasstressed. Rationalising the price ofcanal water, improving water-useefficiency, developing droughttolerant crop varieties, and cropdiversification, were alsorecommended to manage waterscarcity. Since livestock suffer badlyin the case of prolonged drought,special measures wererecommended to provide emergencyfeed through the creation of “feedbanks,” in the drought prone areas.Crop and livestock insurance,especially for drought and floodprone areas, was recommended tolessen devastation in affected areas.

A 260-page book,“ClimateChange and Water Resourcesin South Asia” was published in2003. Project findings are alsobeing published in a specialissue of the journal “Scienceand Culture,” during 2005.A book entitled “Climate andWater:Vulnerability andAdaptation — Case Studiesfrom Hotspots of South Asia”is under preparation.

Participants of Project Planning Meeting, San Diego. May 2003


P A G E 1 2

Managing natural resources requireefficient institutions at all levels i.e.local, national, regional and global.Institutions are defined as humanlydevised constraints that structurehuman interaction (Berkes andFolke, 2000). Institutions, as definedby Young (1999), are systems ofrules, decision-making procedures,and programs that give rise to socialpractices, assign roles to participantsin these practices, and guideinteractions among the occupants ofthe relevant roles. Institutions oftenfigure prominently in efforts to solveor manage environmental problems(Young, 1999).The role ofinstitutions in natural resourcemanagement is being increasinglyrecognised in the context of globalenvironmental change.

Policy research and analysis ofinstitutions related to globalenvironmental change, that isongoing worldwide, normallyfocuses on international or nationalmechanisms and programmes inplace.While it is accepted thatthese programmes contribute

significantly to causing andconfronting global environmentalchanges, the role of local institutionscannot be ignored.Therefore, it isnecessary to study the role ofinstitutions, operating at local level,in global environmental change andto build capacity of local communitiesto adapt to these changes.

The project “Role of Institutions inGlobal Environmental Change” is acollaborative effort between teamsfrom three countries (India, SriLanka and Nepal) from the SouthAsia region.The main objective ofthe project is to study the role ofinstitutions, particularlyenvironmental and resourceregimes, operating at local levels inglobal environmental change. Usinga case study approach, it seeks toaddress the issue of unsustainability(i.e. resource depletion anddegradation). Using five ecosystemsas case studies, this project aims toidentify feedbacks that existbetween human and ecologicalsystems. Ecosystems studied underthis APN project are traditionalaquaculture systems, in Goa, coastalperi-urban agriculture, in Karnataka,the bamboo forest of Haryana,rubber cultivation of Sri Lanka andthe forest-watershed systems, inNepal. Local institutions beingstudied are Comunidad and tenantassociation involved in Khazanecosystem, family/society as aninstitution in agriculture, JFM inHaryana, community management offorests in Nepal and state policiesand programmes in Sri Lanka.Theproject adopted the IDGECframework to study the interactionsbetween institutions andecosystems (see Fig. 1 for example).

Traditional aquaculture systemsin Goa are practiced in coastallands, which are reclaimed mangroveareas.These lands are locally knownas ‘khazans’.The khazans aretraditionally community managed,integrated agro-aqua ecosystemsfound in the coastal lands of Goa.These coastal lands were reclaimedby a gradual process of bunds(embankments), and sluice gates.Khazan technology protectsagricultural fields and villages fromtidal ingress through a system ofbunds, sluice gate and poiem(depression in the field). Many yearsago, traditional communities in Goaformed guilds for management ofresources.These self-governinginstitutions were called ‘gaunkaris’.The land in the village was ownedcollectively, and the profit wasshared among ‘gaunkars’. Khazanlands then belonged to these self-governing village institutions i.e.‘gaunkaris’.The foundation of‘gaunkari’ institution was based onthe collective management ofproperty and resources. DuringPortuguese rule in Goa (1510-1961)they were renamed as ‘comunidads’.Comunidads maintained the khazansystem through the ‘bhaus’ system(association of farmers).Withchanges in the property rightsystem, ‘gaunkars’ ceased to cultivateand manage lands collectively.Thestate government controlled thefunctioning of the ‘comunidads’. Post1960s, the management of khazansbecame the responsibility of theTenants Association (TA). Over thelast few decades, khazans have beendegraded.A number of factors affectthe khazan ecosystem. Changes ininstitutional set-up are reported asthe prime reason for the

Fig. 1 Interactionsbetween institutionsand ecosystems

APN 2004-12-NMY — Roles of Institutions in Global Environmental Change S. Sonak

first phase of collaboration.The fivecase studies and synthesis paper areavailable for viewing as part of aWorking Paper series on the sharedweb community pages (www.sea-user.org/communities/php) and willsoon be published.

The case studies illustrated regionaldevelopment pathways that appearto be similar to those in advancedindustrialised countries from thepoint of energy consumption andcarbon emissions. Urban form andtransport systems were found to behugely important for growth inenergy use and emissions. Changes

in building designs and lifestyleswere also influential, especiallythrough their impacts on electricityconsumption and the energyembodied in products and services.

The agendas that need to be put inplace by cities to seriously addressemissions reduction indicate a needto go through a policy cycle in orderto understand the performance ofinitiatives vis-à-vis the targets thathave been incorporated on carbonemissions and their reduction by citygovernments.There is prospect inaccelerating de-carbonisationthrough explicitly incorporating

carbon management intodevelopment strategies, planning andgovernance of cities and urbanisingregions. However, there areconcerns on how initiatives can betranslated across governance scales,and that local governments mightnot be in a position to carry out thetasks required of them.The mannerto which scientific knowledge hasbeen tapped and information madeavailable in the public domain, aswell as the participation of civilsociety and the private sector in theformulation of policies and in policyadvocacy are also major questionsraised in the synthesis.

“ However,

there are

concerns on how

initiatives can

be translated

across governance

scales...”


P A G E 1 3

degradation.The project providesinsights into these changes and triesto discover why the Comunidad wasmore successful than TenantAssociation.Abolition of the boussystem was the main reason, pointedout by locals, for impropermaintenance.The interference of thestate coupled with the delays infunctioning and decision-makingsignificantly contributes to thedegradation of khazan fields.

Agriculture is a part of livelihoodof most of the rural households inIndia.Although a number of studieshave been conducted on resourceuse and agricultural land degradation,few examine changes in society andits structure and their impacts onagricultural land degradation in India.It is clear from our study that muchof the agricultural degradation in thestudy area is linked to changes insociety and its structure over theyears, poverty and populationgrowth.The main changes observedin society and societal structuresover the years are (1) continuousdecrease in financial returns fromagriculture, (2) fragmentation offamilies: change from joint familysystem to nuclear families, thusincreasing the need for built land,(3) migration related to increasedliteracy and seasonal nature ofemployment, (4) changes in attitudeof people such as attraction ofshort-term gains, and (5) povertyand forced selling of land.

These changes in the socialorganisation, in turn, have highimpacts on the agricultureecosystem and land use and coverchange.The main impacts evidentfrom our study are (1) changes incrops and cropping pattern, (2)changes in seeds from traditional toHYV leading to increased intensityof resource use, (3) shift fromorganic manure to chemicalfertilizers, (4) fragmentation ofagricultural land, and (5) land usechange from fields to built land andto clay pits.The study has alsoemphasised biodiversity loss oftraditional crop varieties.

Bamboo forest of HaryanaIn India there are 125 indigenous, aswell as exotic, species of bamboobelonging to 23 genera. Bambooforests occupy an area of 10.03million hectare, roughly 12.8% ofthe total forest area in the country.Bamboo is used extensively as asource of livelihood in many partsof the country.

Bhanjdas, the basket makingcommunity of Haryana, live mostlyin the northern part of the State, inthe hilly belt of the Shivaliks. Thiscommunity is solely dependent onbamboo from the forest as aresource for making baskets to sell.After the formation of the State ofHaryana, the Haryana ForestDepartment has been issuingpermits for bamboo extraction tothe Bhanjda settlements in Bar, Kalkaand Bowana to assist thedevelopment of these Bhanjdas.However, increasing populationpressure, coupled with economicgrowth and the growth of marketeconomy has jeopardised theecological sustainability of thebamboo ecosystem in this area.Under the joint forest managementprogramme in Haryana Shivaliks, HillResource Management Societies(HRMS) were formed comprisingthe Bhanjdas communities of Barand Kalka districts.A MoU wassigned between the HRMS and theHFD for protection andmanagement/regeneration ofdegraded forests in exchange forsharing the forest resources. Studiesdone on assessing the impact of thisunique model of joint managementreveal that there has been markedimprovement in the socio-economicconditions in those areas whereHRMS has been formed.Thebamboo forest areas, under jointmanagement of the society, arebetter worked and will be able tosustain the supply of bamboos toBhanjdas in the future.This uniquesystem of management in theShivaliks involves a dynamic processof change — social, economical andenvironmental.

Rubber cultivation in Sri LankaIn Sri Lanka, rubber production on155,000 small-holdings of less than4 ha each accounts for about 33%of the nation’s rubber production.Associated with these, are smallindustries such as smoke houses,scrap crepe factories, village dealersand larger industries, such as rubberwood factories, and mattressfactories.The level of output fromthe small-holdings has declined, dueto a fall in the local price of rubber.But associated with this economicpressure are a number of othertechnological, social andenvironmental pressures.Wastewater from processing plantscreates pollution.Three districts arebeing addressed, each has severalthousand small-holders.The aim isto understand the social,

environmental, economic andtechnological issues involved in theinteractions between the small-holders and the small and largescale industries and the reasons forthe decline in output of rubber.Pollution levels are higher fromsmall-holders of land, as treatmentfacilities are not economicallyfeasible. Change in monsoonpatterns due to climate change hasbeen reported; these changes affectrubber cultivation. It was revealedduring the informal discussions thatthe rubber society, which was inoperation before failed as it was apolitical issue. Lack of awareness offarmers towards technicalrecommendations is a prime reasonfor the decline in output of rubber.Government research institutes areworking towards creating awarenessof good practices.

The forest-watershed systemsin NepalBefore 1990, the MachchhindranathCommunity Forest was governmentmanaged. People had free access tothis forest and, as a result, the forestresources were being depleted. In1990, the forest was handed over toa locally organised group called theCommunity Forestry User Groupfor its management and sustainableutilisation.The forest is 25 hectaresin area and it houses 278 residents.An Executive Committee wasestablished and it formulated amanagement plan to control the useof forest over the years.The forestis used mainly for fodder byhouseholds, but it is not able tosupply enough and the users have torely on other sources to meet thedemand of various forest products.Land holding of the people is smalland off-farm activities are common.Notable off-farm activities includestone crushing, construction, and

running shops, as well tea shops.Thiscomponent of the study aimed tounderstand the social, technological,environmental and economicpressures within this system, todetermine whether and how the useof the forest has changed since itbecame government managed andwhether livelihoods are nowsustainable.

The project further investigates howthe management of resources canbe improved, in the context of globalenvironmental change, by learningfrom these different managementsystems and their dynamics. It iscommonly observed that theenvironmental signals that relate tothe function of the ecosystem arenormally ignored until those thatrelate to the function for thehumans are affected. Some of thecommon factors emerging from thisproject are:

s the necessity of integratingcommunity concerns in decision-making

s Involvement of community innatural resource management isessential

s Market is the driving force forchanges in human-environmentrelationship

s Institutions with good supportfrom concerned organizationsperform better

s recognition of the need forcapacity-building of concernedorganisations

s the need for periodical reviewsof performance helps inincreasing responsiveness ofinstitutions

Conceptual frameworks showingfeedback between human andecological systems for each eco-system are under preparation (Fig. 2).

Fishing rights leased to non-villagers

Livelihoodopportunitiesfor locals reduced

Revenue fromcultivationrights unavailable

Lesser environmentalconcerns

Degraded stateof the ecosystem

Inadequate fundsfor maintenance

Lack of interestin cultivation

Land use andcover change

Outsiders allowed for auctionChanges in state policies/laws

Changes in I setupInstitutional

set-up

Comunidade system▼

Tenant association

Community management▼

State interference

Management responsibility

Land tenure to tenants

Social conflicts

Difficulties in management Delay in decision making

Degraded state of the ecosystem

Impacts on ecosystem performance

Improper Management

Fig 2. A simple framework connecting institutional set-up to ecosystemperformance


P A G E 1 4

This project focuses onunderstanding the characteristics offloods under projected climatic andsocio-economic scenarios in Southand Southeast Asia. In the last 30years, annual flood events in Asiahave tripled, resulting in economiclosses, and human casualties haveincreased by more than five folds.The majority of events areconcentrated in South Asia (39%)and Southeast Asia (30%). High ratesof urbanisation and populationgrowth in South and Southeast Asiaare likely to worsen the situation,particularly in large, low-lying cities.

The Intergovernmental Panel onClimate Change (IPCC) predictsthat the global mean sea-level mayrise as much as 88 cm by the end ofthe 21st century. Sea-level rise may

well have the greatestimpact in the Southand Southeast Asianregion; however, fewcountries havecontemplatedmethods to minimiseor cope with suchadversity.With this inmind, it is vital toassess socio-economicimpacts of flooding inlarge, low-lying citiesin South andSoutheast Asia. Bydoing so, policy-makers will be betterable to understandthe vulnerability ofdeveloping coastalcities under climatevariability and socio-economic changes.

The major objectivesof the project are to:(1) gather and analyseexisting data andinformation in orderto develop a GISdatabase of hydrologiccharacteristics andsocio-economicconditions of theselected cities, (2)adapt and apply

existing tools and methodologies tosimulate and assess flooding underlong-term climatic change and risein sea-level, (3) assess socio-economic impacts and vulnerabilityusing developed tools, (4) study thelinks between policy, socio-economic factors and floods andtheir impacts in the region forurban flood risk management and toidentify gaps in existing governmentpolices, (5) establish a network ofresearchers and institutions engagedin research and policy analysisrelated to flood risk management,and (6) build capacity and raisepublic awareness on climate changeand its impacts.The researchfocuses on identifying critical gaps ininformation and policy.The projectscope is limited to selected low-lying large cities of the participatingcountries: Bangladesh, India,Pakistan, Sri Lanka,Thailand andVietnam. One city from eachcountry is identified.

Five of the major activities plannedfor this project are: (1) Establishinga network for seamlesscommunication among researchers,(2) Synthesising existing data andinformation and developing a GISdatabase, (3) Analysing floodscenarios and their socio-economicimpacts, (4) Convening a workshopto discuss outcomes and theirrelation to policy development, and5) Holding an open forum to raiseawareness.

The following organisationsparticipated in and contributed tothis project:Andhra University, India,Asian Institute of Technology (AIT),Thailand (Host Institute), BangladeshUniversity of Engineering andTechnology, Bangladesh, Departmentfor Dyke Management, Flood andStorm Control,Vietnam, Universityof Engineering & Technology,Pakistan, University of Peradeniya,Sri Lanka, and the University ofTokyo, Japan.

It is anticipated that the outcomesof this project will (1) give rise to aknowledge base of existing data and

identify the need for additionalinformation, (2) improve theunderstanding of socio-economicimpacts of floods in low-lyingcoastal cities due to climate change,(3) contribute to the developmentof a regional network ofresearchers for sharing ofknowledge, experiences and bestpractices on impacts, vulnerabilityand adaptation to climate changefor flood risk management, (4)enhance the capacity building ofresearchers in developing countriesto adopt and assimilatecomprehensive scientificinformation on urban flood riskmanagement and (5) raise publicawareness by disseminating theproject findings through publicforum.

To date, the project has madesignificant progress by (1)establishing a network of scientistsand institutions by means ofwebpage with web-based discussionforum, (2) identifying the studyareas for the following six casestudies: Meghna Delta with focus onBarisal City (Bangladesh), MahanadiDelta with focus on Puri, Cuttackand Bhubaneswar Cities (India),Karachi (Pakistan), Matara (SriLanka), Bangkok (Thailand) and Hue(Vietnam), (3) developing acomprehensive GIS and temporaldatabase of hydrological and socio-economic characteristics of the casestudy areas utilising the data andinformation gathered from variouslocal, regional and global sources, (4)convening a successfulbrainstorming workshop among thecollaborators from participatoryorganisations, at AIT during 21-31March 2005.The participantsworked together on case studiesand country based scenarioanalyses, (5) conducting floodinundation simulations (calibration,verification and scenario analysis)using a hydrodynamic model forscenarios of sea level rising andcomputing projected urbanisationand population changes, usingLUCC model.

CAPaBLE Programme Updates

An Assessment of the Socio-economic Impacts of Floods under Climate Change Conditionsin Large Coastal Cities in South and Southeast Asia (2004-CB01-NSY)D. Dutta

“ In the last 30

years, annual flood

events in Asia

have tripled, resulting

in economic losses,

and human casualties

have increased

by more than

five folds.”

The APN/CAPaBLE Poster


P A G E 1 5

The objective of this project is toexchange information, to seekconcepts of ecologically-soundtechnologies that can realisesustainable society under theconstraint especially of consumptionof fossil fuel, to examinequantitatively its effectiveness, andto explore how it should beimplemented in developingcountries. Moreover, it aims todisseminate the significance of suchalternative ideas and to exploremethods of circulating them insociety.

The 21st century faces a wide rangeof problems consequential toprosperity from the 20th-century-style “large-scale industrialtechnology” and the “global marketmechanism.” It is undeniable that insome respects, large cities andindustrial societies were achieved atthe expense of such regionalcommunities. Sustainable societybegins to have meaning when ittakes aim at eradicating suchadverse effects.Therefore,sustainable society is referred to as,“a society that is able to co-existwith nature,” and technology that

supports sustainable society as“locally appropriate technology.”Figure 1 illustrates how technologycan be classified into threecategories based on varyingcharacteristics: home technology,social technology and industrialtechnology. Industrial technology isdescribed as highly advanced,utilising computer control, whilehome technology is primitive,usually developed out of necessityfor survival, i.e. waste disposal,water treatment (Solar DisinfectionSystem (SODIS), see figure 2). Socialtechnology stands between the twoextremes. Social technology issimilar to “intermediate technology.”

Dr. Ernst Friedrich Schumacherdefines intermediate technology as“technologies including earth- anduser-friendly technology matched tothe scale of community life.”Intermediate technology can bemanaged with limited human andfinancial resources in developingcountries and is useful forimproving the well-being of localcommunities. It is also called “locallyappropriate technology.”

During the first year, the projectfocused on the exchange andsharing of information on locally-owned technology and systems,beneficial for rural development and

climate change mitigation, withparticular focus on P.R. China andIndia.The outcomes were theidentification of useful examples ofappropriate technology and effectivemethods to promote technologytransfer. In the second year, a half-day public symposium and 2-dayworkshop were held to (1)exchange and share informationamong scholars and experts fromlocal governments and NGOs onlocally owned technology forclimate change mitigation, (2) toidentify appropriate technology and(3) to discuss mechanisms topromote technical transfer.

Industrial TechnologySocial TechnologyHome Technology

Resources,Scale

Intermediate T.Appropriate T.

Welfare of community(Stake holder)

Profit of Stock holder(Stock holder)

Alternative T.Machine control<Participatory>

HighComputer control, experts

<Monopoly>

Small Large

Survival of Family(Family)

Non-marketable Marketable

Primitive(Human-powered,non-professional)

<Individual>

Technology

Target(For whom)

Evaluation Marketable/Non-marketable

SODIS utilises PET bottles and sunlight for drinking water disinfection SODIS; bottles on the roof

Kyoto Workshop, November 2004 Project Leader and Hyogo Government Representative

Capacity Building Workshop on Climate Change Mitigation with Locally-owned Technology and Systems (APN CAPaBLE Project: 2004-CB04-CMY)M. Naito


P A G E 1 6

EAST ASIA

11-15 April. Climate andCryosphere (CliC) — FirstScience Conference,WorldClimate Research Programme(WCRP) — ChinaMeteorological Administration,Beijing, China.

The Climate and Cryosphere (CliC)Project is a World Climate ResearchProgramme (WCRP) core project; itencourages and promotes researchwithin the cryosphere and itsrelationship to the global climatesystem.The First ScienceConference was sponsored byWorld Climate ResearchProgramme (WCRP), the ChinaMeteorological Organisation, theChinese Academy of Sciences, CliCInternational Project, and the OfficeNorwegian Polar Institute.

The project aims to assess andquantify the impacts that climaticvariability and change have oncomponents of the cryosphere andthe consequences that these impactshave on the climate system.Furthermore, the project endeavorsto determine the stability of theglobal cryosphere.To sustain thisgoal, CliC seeks to (1) enhance andcoordinate efforts to monitor thecryosphere, (2) study climate-relatedprocesses involving the cryosphere,and (3) model and understand itsrole in the climate system.

During the conference,presentations from invited keynotelecturers and contributed papers onvarious topics were given. Postersessions were organised to facilitatethe dissemination of a range ofrelevant information and research,and workshops were held toaddress future research directions.Among the topics included in thepresentations were: (1)Meteorology and hydrology of coldregions, including solid precipitationand snow-cover processes, (2)Permafrost and frozen groundprocesses, (3) Polar oceans and themarine cryosphere including sea ice,ice shelves, and ice bergs, (4)Glaciers, ice caps, and ice sheets,and their contribution to sea levelchange, (5) Interactions between thecryosphere and global climate,including mechanisms for abruptclimate change, (6) The stability of

the global cryosphere, (7)Observations and monitoring of thecryosphere, (8) Cryosphericindicators of climate change, (9)Prediction of the future state of thecryosphere and its influence onclimate predictability, (10)Cryospheric data management, (11)Practical and scientific applicationsof cryosphere/climate research, (12)Economic and social impact ofchanges in the cryosphere, (13)Cooperation in studies andobservations of cryosphere andclimate, and (14) National andinternational research initiatives onthe cryosphere and its role inclimate and human activities.

29 April-1 May. Second iLEAPSSSC Meeting Vienna,Austria.

The iLEAPS Scientific SteeringCommittee (SSC) annual meetingwas held in Vienna in April, at whichrepresentatives from IGAC,GEIA/AIMES, GLP, GEWEX, IGBP,and ACCENT attended. During themeeting, the SSC recognisedLEARN as an iLEAPS project andFLUXNET, as an iLEAPS activity.LEARN is a project on LandEcosystem-Atmosphere ReactiveNitrogen coordinated by Mary AnneCarroll ([email protected]).FLUXNET is an internationalnetwork which measures terrestrialcarbon and water and energy fluxesacross daily to inter-annual timescales. More information is availableat http://daac.ornl.gov/FLUXNET/.The next iLEAPS SSC meeting isscheduled for 20-21 January 2006, inBoulder.

9-13 May. InternationalWorkshop on Sub-aeriallyExposed Continental ShelvesSince the Middle PleistoceneClimatic Transition, (A 10thAnniversary Celebration Eventof the Department of EarthSciences,The University ofHong Kong), Hong Kong SAR,China.

This workshop, organised by theUniversity of Hong Kong,Department of Earth Sciences andsponsored by the InternationalUnion for Quatemary Research,(INQUA), is an initial component ofa 3-year project (2004-2007),supported by INQUA through theCommission on Coastal & Marine

Processes.The project aims to studyterrestrial deposits in sub-aeriallyexposed continental shelves sincethe Middle Pleistocene climatictransition (MIS 13).An importantfocus is the role of sub-aeriallyexposed continental shelves incarbon storage and the likelycontribution of greenhouse gasesinto the atmosphere. During theworkshop, numerous characteristicsof continental shelf sciences werecovered including (1) Land-seacorrelation, (2) Sea-level changes, (3)Landslide, fluvial and deltaic, andAeolian deposits, (4) Karst depositsincluding coral reefs andspeleothems, (5) Land bridges, asmigration routes, (6) Stratigraphyand geochronology, (7)Palaeopedology and production ofgreenhouse gases, (8) Palaeo-floraand palaeo-fauna, and (9) Tectonicstability and instability.

In the second year (2006), a fieldmeeting will be held at a location tobe decided upon at the Hong Kongworkshop and attendees are invitedto express interest in holding thismeeting. It is anticipated that thefinal meeting, concluding the three-year (2004-2007) project, will be asymposium at the 17th INQUACongress in Cairns,Australia.

31 May-3 June.Third RussianConference on Geocryology,Moscow State University,Moscow, Russia.

The Third Russian Conference onGeocryology was held at MoscowState University from 31 May-3 June2005 in celebration of MoscowState University’s 250th Anniversary.During the conference,presentations covering the followingtopics were given: (1) Physics,chemistry, thermophysics and themechanics of frozen soil, (2)Lithogenous geocryology, (3) Soil’scryogenous, (4) Dynamic andregional and historical geocryology,(5) Cryology of planets, (6)Permafrost engineering andgeoecology, (7) The problemsassociated with oil and gas depositsexploration in permafrost regions,and (8) Gas and gas hydrate in theEarth’s cryolithosphere.

Compiled from report by APN LiaisonOfficer Ms.Yang Ying

Regional News

“ An important

focus is the role

of sub-aerially

exposed continental

shelves in carbon

storage and the

likely contribution

of greenhouse

gases into the

atmosphere.”

OCEANIA

17 April-12 May. Pacific IslandsCommunity-basedConservation Course (PICCC).

A need for Pacific Islandcommunities to conserve theirnatural environment from increasingpopulation and globalisationpressures is one of the reasons thatcommunity-based conservation isnecessary for development.

Most of the biodiversity in thePacific is located in areas owned bycommunities.The use andconsumption of the resources inthe Pacific is primarily from thenatives of the Pacific therefore, it isin their best interest to conservethe available natural resources; thiswill help ensure the resources willbe available for future generations.These resources form the basis formuch of the cash economy.

The capacity building needed bycommunities to carefully managetheir natural resources is beingaddressed through the PacificIslands Community-basedConservation Course (PICCC).Thecourse is being run in collaborationwith SPREP (Secretariat of thePacific Regional EnvironmentProgramme), USP and theInternational Centre for ProtectedLandscapes (ICPL).

The course is being conducted inthree phases; the first phase 17April-12 May, at the University ofthe South Pacific, Suva, Fiji, has justconcluded.This year, 12 people aretaking part in the course from: Fiji,Kiribati, Micronesia, Palau, PapuaNew Guinea, Samoa, SolomonIslands,Tuvalu and Vanuatu.Following the first phase of thecourse, participants returned totheir respective countries to applythe skills they learned. Participantswill partake in a project beingconducted in their workplace togain hands-on experience and utilisethe tools they learned.They thenreturn for the last phase of thecourse in October 2005.The coursewas coordinated by Mr. MelchiorMataki from Pacific Centre forEnvironment and SustainableDevelopment (PACE-SD).

The course is teaches (1)participatory teaching techniquesfor working with communities, (2)how to develop personal skills inareas such as self-assessment,

facilitation of meetings, and (3)methods of developingcommunications strategies andmanagement plans.

28 April. Department ofEnvironment in Fiji OrganisesWaste Forum.

The Department of Environmenthas been running a series of wasteforums, in Fiji, to finalise the WasteManagement Framework and actionplans.Waste Forum 3 was held on28 April 2005 in Suva, Fiji.The mainobjective of the forum was tofinalise the action plans for andprioritise key issues in sevenprogramme areas related to waste.These are (1) Legislations,Regulations and Institutions,(2) Education,Awareness andCommunity Programmes, (3)Research and Development, (4)Waste Minimisation, (5) ImprovingFinal Disposal, Monitoring and LitterControl, (6) Economic Instrumentsand Incentives, and (7) CollectionSystems, Infrastructure and Services.

The action plans were drafted basedon the key issues identified byworking groups for eachprogramme area and prioritised inWaste Forum 2.The drafted actionplans were largely adopted by thestakeholders present at WasteForum 3; stakeholders fromgovernment ministries (Ministry ofHealth, Ministry of Education),government departments (SolicitorGenerals Office,Attorney GeneralsOffice), non-governmentorganisations (Live & Learn,Recyclers for Fiji,Waste Recyclers),educational institutes (Fiji Instituteof Technology, University of theSouth Pacific) and the media.Overall, 60 stakeholders werepresent at the forum.

The major outcome of the forumwas to organise the programmeareas into thematic areas whichwere issues common to all theprogramme areas and thesethematic areas were:Communication, InformationManagement, Legislation,WasteMinimization, Research andDevelopment, ResourcingMechanism and Waste OperationSystems/Infrastructure.The actionplans will now be addressed inthese thematic areas.The finalaction plans will be incorporatedinto the Draft National Solid WasteManagement Strategy (for PacificIsland Countries). Dr. Frank Griffin

from SPREP (Secretariat of theRegional Environment Programme)was the main facilitator of theForum.

Marshall Islands, in the PacificLeads, Ozone Phase-out.

The Marshall Islands are leading theway in the Pacific’s’ efforts to phase-out deadly chlorofluorocarbons(CFCs) by heading up a regionalstrategy on ozone depletingsubstances. Under the MontrealProtocol, Marshall Islands are thefirst, of a dozen Pacific nations, toinitiate the next phase of thestrategy.

With funding from the Protocol’sMultilateral Fund (PMF), a trainer’sworkshop was held on 28-29 April,2005 in the Marshall Islands countryto introduce local customs officersto ODS (ozone depletingsubstances) regulations and theirapplication. CFCs are the mostcommonly used ozone-depletingsource. In the Pacific, CFC use islimited to refrigeration and air-conditioning units; along with methylbromide, a fumigant for quarantineand pre-shipment procedures. Bothsubstances deplete the ozone layer,the natural shield in the earth’supper atmosphere that filters outharmful ultra violet rays from thesun. Left unchecked the rays causeskin cancer, eye cataracts anddamage marine life.

Backed by the United NationsEnvironment Programme theproject has a US$ 800,000 budgetand is being implemented regionallywith support from Australia andNew Zealand.

The project will enable theFederated States of Kiribati,Micronesia, the Marshall Islands,Palau, Solomon Islands,Tonga,Tuvaluand Vanuatu, to halt all CFC importsby the end of this year.The CookIslands, Nauru and Niue have alsobeen included in the project.

4-5 May. Stakeholders vetPacific Disaster Risk ReductionFramework for Action, 2005-2015.

SOPAC (South Pacific AppliedGeosciences Commission) hosted aPacific regional stakeholderconsultation in Suva, Fiji, 4-5 May inpreparation for the 12th PacificRegional Disaster ManagementMeeting, 6-8 June in Papua New

Guinea.The consultation, in Suva,reflected on the draft RegionalDisaster Risk Reduction Frameworkfor Action, 2005-2015; it wasprepared to reflect the outcomes ofthe second World Conference onDisaster Reduction held in January2005, in Kobe, Japan.A set ofspecific goals, activities and policymeasures for implementation during2005-2015 were presented forconsideration and discussion.Thegoals, activities and policy measurespresented were drawn from lessonslearned from the progress of theYokohama Strategy and the Plan ofAction for a safer world, over thepast decade.The Plan of Action fora safer world was adopted at thefirst World Conference on DisasterReduction, held in Yokohama, Japan,May 1994 during the InternationalDecade for Natural DisasterReduction (INDR). Stakeholders atthe Suva consultation included:National Disaster Managers fromeight Pacific Island Countries,representatives from EmergencyManagement Australia and the NewZealand Ministry of Civil Defenseand Emergency Management,international donors, Suva-basedinternational, regional and nationalrepresentatives, and NGOs.Thespecial needs of the Pacific SmallIsland Developing States and thelinks between disaster riskreduction and the Pacific Plan willbe taken forward to the Papua NewGuinea regional meeting and thenpresented to the Pacific ForumLeaders for their endorsement attheir meeting in October 2005.

9-20 May. Samoa Training ToImprove Response to WeatherExtremes, (Pacific IslandsInstitute on Climate andExtreme Events)(APN Project Reference:2004-CB03-CMY-Koshy)

The Pacific Islands Training Instituteon Climate and Extreme Eventsprovided 25 participants,representing ministries, scientificagencies, public officials and NGOsfrom various sectors in Samoa, thefirst in-country training.The training,“Samoan Training Institute onClimate and Extreme Events,” washeld from 9-20 May 2005 at theSecretariat of the PacificEnvironment Programme (SPREP).

The Samoan Training Instituteprovided the first in-countrydemonstration of the Pacific IslandsTraining Institute learning objectives,


P A G E 1 7

approach, methodology andmaterials.The training also providedthe Samoan climate change countryteam the occasion to exploreopportunities to streamlineinformation about climate variabilityand change into national climatechange adaptation programs andlong-term sustainable developmentplanning. Furthermore, the traininginvolved the development andtesting of a modular in-countrytraining program that could beimplemented throughout Oceania.

The Samoan Training Institute isexpected to contribute significantlytowards enhancing both regionaland national capacity to enhancePacific countries’ resilience toclimate-related extreme events inthe long term.The trainingrepresents the second phase of a 3-year training and capacity-buildingproject.

20 May. USP forms Partnershipwith the United NationsUniversity’s — InternationalNetwork on Water,Environment and HealthProgram.

The University of the South Pacifichas signed a Memorandum ofUnderstanding with the UnitedNations University — InternationalNetwork on Water, Environmentand Health (UNU-INWEH) toformalise the establishment of aRegional Centre of the UN WaterVirtual Learning Centre (WVLC) inthe Pacific.The programme of theWVLC Regional Centre will focuson improving water resourcemanagement and the water servicesof developing countries andimproving training and education inthe water sector.

The MoU wassigned by theVice-Chancellorof USP, ProfessorAnthony Tarr andthe AssistantDirector ofUNU-INWEH,Dr. ColinMayfield.TheRegional Centre

is part of a pilot programme of theUN’s project on Capacity Buildingto Improve Water Management andto Accelerate SustainableInvestments in the Water Sector,which is to see the implementationof a WVLC in Africa,Asia and thePacific focused on training in

Integrated Water ResourcesManagement.

Dr. Colin Mayfield also gave a publiclecture on Integrated WaterResources Management on 19 May2005, at USP.The lectureemphasised the introduction of thedevelopment of Integrated WaterResources Management.

Department of Environment inFiji Organises SchoolCompetition to CelebrateEnvironment Week 2005.

The Fijian Department ofEnvironment organised NationalEnvironment Week, which is anannual event that takes place duringthe first and fourth week of June, as“Environment Day.” Fiji‘s theme is“Don’t waste WASTE!”

As part of the campaign, theDepartment of Environmentconducted a school competition,which was open to all levels ofprimary school, from all over thecountry.The competition wasorganised to find out what youngpeople think about waste.Theobjectives of the competition were(1) to give students the opportunityto think about issues concerningwaste, (2) to raise public awarenessabout waste through the students’work and message, and (3) tointegrate Environmental Educationinto the school curriculum, withother subjects.

Schoolchildren carried out hands-onactivities during the competition;they managed their rubbish basedon three categories: waste character(type of waste produced, i.e.plastics, PET bottles, vegetablepeelings, etc.), waste products andan environmental essay, on waste.There was tremendous responsefrom schools about thecompetition, with over 200 entries

sent from 20 different schools, allover Fiji.The children createdimaginative mascots from waste;they used everything from old dollsto plastic bottles, glass, straw, leaves,coconut shells and cardboard boxes.In addition to using waste productsto create their mascot, the childrenalso used decorations and thingsthat could be used around thehouse.The intention of the creativemascots was to send the messagethat everyone, at regional, nationaland local levels is responsible forwaste and what people can do tohelp contribute to waste reduction.

All entries were judged onrelevance, originality and creativityby the Department and otherpartners, Ministry of Education, Live& Learn Environmental Education,the APN Liaison Officer fromPACE-SD (USP) and otherstakeholders. Selected entries wereannounced through the media andprizes were awarded during“Environment Week” celebrations.All entries will be displayed duringthe Environment Week Exhibitionand the winning waste mascot willbe used as the mascot in newlydesigned posters for publicawareness about waste.Theseposters will be displayed in schoolsthroughout Fiji and the Pacific.

The campaign meant a lot to thestudents and it encouraged them tothink about their environmentbecause they are the future leaders.It is the students’ voices andpositive actions that will helpchange the way the people of Fijilook at “waste.”

START-Oceania latest publication ofOceanic Waves Newsletter can beaccessed on the website:www.usp.ac.fj/start

Compiled from report by APN LiaisonOfficer Ms.Archana Narayan

SOUTH ASIA

1-2 March.Air PollutionControl Strategies for Mumbai.Mumbai, India.

A seminar on “Air Pollution ControlStrategies for Mumbai,” held inMumbai, India from 1-2 March, wasjointly organised by MaharashtraPollution Control Board (MPCB)and the National EnvironmentalEngineering Research Institute(NEERI).The focus of this seminar


P A G E 1 8

Winning characterby Karan SwajeetNarayan, NadiSangam School,NADI (Class 1)

Winning products by Shaval Devi,S.G.N. Khalsa Primary School, BA(Class 5)

“ The Samoan Training

Institute is expected to

contribute significantly

towards enhancing both

regional and national

capacity to enhance Pacific

countries’ resilience to

climate-related extreme

events in the long term.

The training represents

the second phase of a

3-year training and

capacity-building

project.”

was on health, particularly airpollution reduction plans.Stakeholders, from mega-cities, andnational regulatory representativesparticipated in the seminar, tried toevaluate the successes and failuresof existing policies for addressing airpollution problems.

26 April. Second AnnualSeminar of the PakistanEnvironmental LawAssociation. Islamabad,Pakistan.

On 26 April, the PakistanEnvironmental Law Association(PELA) convened its ‘Second AnnualSeminar’ in Islamabad, in associationwith LEAD Pakistan, sponsored byIUCN/WWF.The theme of theseminar was “Towards Cleaner Air:The Role of the Judiciary.” Duringthe seminar, presenters set forththeir papers which addressed issuessuch as vehicular air pollution, in thecontext of other environmentalproblems plaguing Pakistan, newinterventions in environmentallitigation in Pakistan, and the Indianexperience of cleaning Delhi.

28 April. Inaugural Workshop ofthe South Asian Regional Nodeof the Land-Ocean Interactionsin the Coastal Zone (LOICZ)Project. Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Land-Ocean Interactions in theCoastal Zone (LOICZ) is a coreproject of the InternationalGeosphere-Biosphere Programme(IGBP).The science plan of theSecond Phase of the project(LOICZ II) aims for acomprehensive integration of thehuman dimension into coastalsciences.This project is co-sponsored by the InternationalHuman Dimensions Programme onGlobal Environmental Change(IHDP). As part of theimplementation strategy of LOICZII, ‘Regional Nodes’ are beingestablished to engage regionalscientists, coordinate regionalactivities related to LOICZ themesand facilitate the acquisition anddissemination of information.Following the successful completionof a series of regional workshopsand projects related to LOICZ I,which were based in Sri Lanka, the‘Regional Node’ for South Asia hasbeen established in Sri Lanka.TheNational Science Foundation, SriLanka, is hosting this Node andprovides institutional support for itsactivities. A workshop was

organised on 28 April 2005 inColombo, Sri Lanka to formallyrecognize the inauguration of thisNode.

3 May. Inception Workshop onIndia’s Second NationalCommunication (NATCOM–II)to the United NationsFramework Convention onClimate Change. New Delhi,India.

To set in motion the Indianactivities for preparation andcommunication of its “SecondNational Communication,” theMinistry of Environment andForests, India organised an“Inception Workshop on India’sSecond National Communication(NATCOM–II) to the UnitedNations Framework Convention onClimate Change” on 3 May 2005, inNew Delhi, India.This workshopwas the first in the series ofdiscussions for finalisation of corecomponents of proposed secondnational communication of India.During the workshop, extensivediscussions took place on theproposed core components ofNATCOM-II activities.

17-19 May. High-level Meetingfor Establishment of a RegionalFlood Information System inthe Hindu Kush HimalayanRegion.Thimpu, Bhutan.

The Hydromet Services Division,Department of Energy, RoyalGovernment of Bhutan inassociation with the InternationalCentre for Integrated MountainDevelopment (ICIMOD) and theWorld Meteorological Organisationorganised a “High-level Meeting forEstablishment of a Regional FloodInformation System in the Hindu

Kush Himalayan Region” in Thimpu,Bhutan, during 17-19 May 2005.During the meeting, ICIMODmember countries, not includingIndia, endorsed and approved aproject to establish a floodinformation network.The projectaims to reduce flood vulnerabilities,save lives, and protect theinfrastructure against devastation inthe Hindu Kush Himalayan region ofBangladesh, Bhutan, India, China,Nepal and Pakistan, which share themajor river basins of the Ganga andthe Brahmaputra.

Compiled from report by APN LiaisonOfficer Mr.Chhemendra Sharma

SOUTHEAST ASIA

28-30 April. APN-CAPaBLECB-02 Workshop on Methodand Preparation for theAssessment of CommunityVulnerability and Adaptation to Impact of ClimateChange/Variability, Khon Kaen,Thailand.

This APN supported workshopaimed to develop the understandingof methods used in vulnerabilityassessment for human resources inresearch, education andimplementing agencies. Lao PDRand Thailand were included in theproject to build their capacity onthe vulnerability assessment ofcommunity livelihood from impactsof climate change/variability. Elevenparticipants, from the twocountries, attended this workshop.The workshop will be followed-upwith field assessment researchexercises; they will serve as casestudies that will allow participantsto have opportunity on hand-onpractice with all the assessment

processes.The research will takeplace at selected communities inLao PDR and Thailand.

28-29 April. Climate ChangeAdaptation Strategies for theMekong Region, Bangkok,Thailand.

Regional and national organisations,concerned particularly with climate,water and the Mekong region, metat the IUCN Regional Office, inBangkok, to discuss regarding futurecooperation.The regional andnational organisations in attendancewere: the Cooperative Programmeon Water and Climate, FutureWater, Both Ends, InternationalWater Management Institute, SEASTART Regional Centre, andnational government and non-government organisations fromCambodia, Lao PDR,Thailand andVietnam. During the assembly,possible areas for collaborationwere discussed.These included (1) strengthening the resilience oflocal communities to climate changeand climate variability, (2) sharinglocal and technical knowledge, (3)risk assessment, (4) implementationof demonstration sites for climatechange adaptation, (5) andconsolidation of climate changeresearch and studies in the region.The APN and START wererecognised for their fundedactivities, in the region, andappreciated and encouraged tocontinue supporting regionalresearch.

2-4 May. Third ConsultativeMeeting for the Southeast Asia Global Ocean Observing System(SEAGOOS). Bangkok,Thailand.

The Third Consultative Meeting forSEAGOOS was hosted by theDepartment of Marine and CoastalResource, the designated interimcoordinator for SEAGOOS.Southeast Asian national expertsrecommended that SEAGOOS be a program under theIntergovernmental OceanographicCommission of UNESCO (IOC) —Sub-commission for Western Pacific (WESTPAC). It was alsorecommended that the OperationalGuidelines be endorsed at the Sub-commission session.TheSEAGOOS programme willencompass all Southeast Asian seas, ensuring that countries in theregion are able to mutually observe


P A G E 1 9

Photo of Inaugural Workshop of the South Asian Regional Node of theLand-Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone (LOICZ) Project held on 28April, Colombo, Sri Lanka.


P A G E 2 0

and share oceanographic data.Thisdata will be applied and utilised forresearch and operational warningsystems.

9-11 May.Workshop on Identifying and ManagingHigh Risk Region in theMekong Region. Siem Reap,Cambodia.

This workshop was organised bythe Stockholm EnvironmentalInstitute (SEI) and hosted by a localNGO — Fisheries Action CoalitionTeam (FACT).The key issuediscussed during the workshop washow to systematically link a macro,GIS and indicator driven approach,(undertaken at the regional scale)with a comprehensive and locationbased research that is currentlybeing carried out on specificprocesses contributing tovulnerability of social groups, withinthese high risk areas. Eightparticipants from the People’sRepublic of China, Lao PDR,Thailand, Cambodia,Viet Nam andthe United Kingdom, attended thisworkshop.

23-27 May. Sixth Session of theIOC Sub-Commission for theWestern Pacific. Nha Trang,Vietnam.

The Session reviewed past activities,recommending some activities beterminated and a number of newprojects and programs beestablished. Among the most recentdevelopments of WESTPAC, sub-regional tsunami warning systemswere highlighted. The fundamental

role of satellite remote sensing inocean observation was alsorecognised; several capacity-buildingactivities similar to this approachwere proposed.The APN Coastal

Zone Synthesis was also presentedto the Session.

Compiled from report by APN LiaisonOfficer Mr. Anond Snidvongs

CALENDAR UPDATE

2005

6-8 Jul. START/APN/SCOPE Editors and Authors Meeting for the Monsoon Asia Integrated Regional Study RapidAssessment. Chiang Mai,Thailand. Contact: Louis Lebel<[email protected]>

10-15 Jul. 1st International Water Association (IWA) — Asia PacificRegional Group (ASPIRE) Conference and Exhibition.Singapore. Contact: http://www.aspire2005.org/

14-16 Jul. Planning Meeting for the 2006 START Young ScientistsGlobal Change Conference. Bangkok,Thailand.Contact:Anond Snidvongs <[email protected]>

22-25 Aug. Map Asia 2005. Jakarta, Indonesia.Contact: http://www.mapasia.org

29 Aug. – 1 Sept. SCOR Executive Committee Meeting. Cairns,Australia.Contact: http://www.jhu.edu/~scor/2005EC.htm

13-17 Nov. Greenhouse 2005:Action on Climate Control.Melbourne,Australia. Contact: [email protected]

15-28 Nov. SARCS Advanced Training Workshop on Southeast AsiaRegional Carbon and Water Issues. Chung-Li andKaohsiung,Taiwan. Contact: Olga Huang<[email protected]>

2006

10-11 Mar. 2nd Asia Conference on Earthquake Engineering (ACEE 2006). Manila, Philippines. Contact:http://acee.dlsu.edu.ph/index.html

4-10 Sept. Volcano International Gathering 2006.Yogyakarta,Indonesia. Contact: http://www.vig2006.recent.or.id/

16-18 Oct. 3rd Asia Pacific Association of Hydrology and WaterResources (APHW) Conference. Bangkok,Thailand.Contact: http://www.thirdaphw.org/

TBD 11th APN Inter-governmental Meeting (IGM) and Scientific Planning Group (SPG) Meeting. Bangkok,Thailand.Contact: http://www.apn-gcr.org

APN Liaison OfficersEast AsiaMs.Yang YingSTART TEA-RCC/o Institute of Atmospheric PhysicsChinese Academy of SciencesQi Jia Huo Zi, De Sheng Men WaiStreetBeijing, 100029 ChinaTel: +86-10-6204-1317Fax: +86-10-6204-5230Email: [email protected]

OceaniaMs. Archana NarayanSTART-Oceania c/o Cl-Pacific Centre forEnvironment and SustainableDevelopment (PACE-SD)

Lower Campus University of the South Pacific PO Box 1168Suva, FIJI Tel: +679-321-2446 Fax: +679-330-2548Email: [email protected]

South AsiaDr. C. SHARMASASCOM c/o National Physical Laboratory Dr K. S. Krishnan Marg, New Delhi110 012 INDIA Tel: +91-11-2574-5298 Fax: +91-11-2585-2678 Email: [email protected]

Southeast AsiaDr.Anond SnidvongsSEA-RC Southeast Asia START GlobalChange Regional CenterRoom 508, 5th FloorSWU Pathumwan Building Number 5 Chulalongkorn UniversityHenri Dunant Road, BangkokThailand 10330Tel: +66-2-218-9464 to 7Fax: +66-2-251-9416Email: [email protected]


P A G E 2 1

AUSTRALIA

Michael STODDART (FP)Chief ScientistAustralian Antarctic [email protected]

Graeme PEARMAN (SPG)Chief [email protected]

BANGLADESH

Quazi Liaquat ALI (FP)Senior Assistant SecretaryMinistry of Environment and [email protected]

Chanrithy CHUON (SPG)DirectorDepartment of Natural ResourcesAssessment and Environmental DataManagementMinistry of [email protected]

CAMBODIA

Sovannora IENG (FP)Advisor to the MinisterMinistry of [email protected]

Chanrithy CHUON (SPG)DirectorDepartment of Natural ResourcesAssessment and Environmental DataManagementMinistry of [email protected]

CHINA

Xuedu LU (FP)DirectorDepartment of Rural and SocialDevelopmentMinistry of Science and [email protected]

Dong WENJIE (SPG)National Climate CenterChina Meteorological [email protected]

FIJI

Cama TUILOMA (FP)Chief Executive OfficerMinistry of Local Government, Housing,Squatter Settlement and [email protected]

Epeli NASOME (SPG)Director of EnvironmentDepartment of Environment [email protected]

INDIA

Subodh SHARMA (FP)DirectorMinistry of Environment and ForestsGovernment of India

A. P. MITRA (SPG)Honorary Scientist of EminenceNational Physical [email protected]

INDONESIA

Liana BRATASIDA (FP)Assistant Minister for Global EnvironmentAffairsMinistry of [email protected]

Bambang SetiawanTEJASUKMANA (SPG)Deputy Chairman of Remote Sensing AffairsNational Institute of Aeronautics and Space(LAPAN)[email protected]

JAPAN

Kazuhiko TAKEMOTO (FP)Deputy Director GeneralGlobal Environment BureauMinistry of the [email protected]

Nobuo MIMURA (SPG)ProfessorIbaraki [email protected]

LAO PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATICREPUBLIC

Phonechaleun NONTHAXAY (FP)Deputy Director General Science,Technology and Environment [email protected]

Soulideth SOUVANNALATH(SPG)Deputy DirectorEnvironment Study CenterEnvironment Research Institute Science,Technology and Environment [email protected]

MALAYSIA

Mr. Chow Kok KEE (FP)Director-GeneralMalaysian Meteorological [email protected]

Subramaniam MOTEN (SPG)Director, Research DivisionMalaysian Meteorological [email protected]

MONGOLIA

Bayarbat DASHZEVEG (FP)Deputy DirectorStrategic Planning and ManagementDivisionMinistry of Nature and [email protected]

Tsogtbaatar JAMSRAN (SPG)DirectorInstitute of GeoecologyMongolian Academy of [email protected]

NEPAL

Madan Lal SHRESTHA (SPG)Director General Department of Hydrology and Meteorology [email protected]

NEW ZEALAND

Andrew MATTHEWS (FP) (SPG)Manager, International SciencesNational Institute of Water and [email protected]

PAKISTAN

Fida MUHAMMAD (FP)Deputy SecretaryMinistry of Environment National Conservation Strategy [email protected]

Amir MUHAMMED (SPG)RectorNational University of Computer andEmerging [email protected]

PHILIPPINES

Samuel PEÑAFIEL (FP)Regional Executive DirectorDepartment of Environment and [email protected]

Celso DIAZ (SPG)DirectorEcosystems Research and DevelopmentBureauDepartment of Environment and [email protected]

REPUBLIC OF KOREA

Houngseob KIM (FP)DirectorGlobal Environment OfficeMinistry of [email protected]

Kwangwoo CHO (SPG)Senior Scientist Korea Environment [email protected]

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Alexander STERIN (SPG)Deputy DirectorRussian Research Institute forHydrometeorological Information — WorldData [email protected]

SRI LANKA

P.M. LEELARATNA (FP)SecretaryMinistry of Environment and [email protected]

G.H.P. DHARMARATNA (SPG)Director General of MeteorologyDepartment of [email protected]

THAILAND

Petipong Pungbun Na AYUDHYA(FP)Permanent SecretaryMinistry of Natural Resources and [email protected]

Jariya BOONJAWAT (SPG)Associate ProfessorSoutheast Asia START Regional CentreChulalongkorn [email protected]

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Louis BROWN (FP) (SPG)Chair,Working Group on InternationalResearch and Cooperation U.S. Climate Change Science ProgramDirectorate for GeosciencesNational Science [email protected]

VIET NAM

Xuan Bao Tam NGUYEN (FP)Deputy Director GeneralICD Ministry of Natural Resources [email protected]

Nga MAI NGOC (SPG)Senior OfficerViet Nam Environmental Protection [email protected]

GLOBAL CHANGE SYSTEM FORANALYSIS, RESEARCH,ANDTRAINING (START)

Roland FUCHSDirectorInternational START [email protected]

APN National Focal Points (FP) and Scientific Planning Group Members (SPG)


P A G E 2 2

APN 2005-01-CMY: Institutional Capacityin Natural Disaster Risk Reduction:A Comparative Analysis of Institutions,National Policies, and CooperativeResponses to Floods in AsiaPROJECT LEADER: E. Nikitina, RussianAcademy of Sciences,RUSSIAN FEDERATIONEmail: [email protected]

APN 2005-02-CMY: Role of Institutions inGlobal Environmental ChangePROJECT LEADER: S. Sonak,TERI, INDIAEmail: [email protected]

APN 2005-03-CMY: Synergy betweenEcosystem Change and BiodiversityStudies in the Western Pacific and Asia:Establishing Case Studies for CarbonManagement and BiodiversityConservationPROJECT LEADER: K. Kitayama, KyotoUniversity, JAPANEmail: [email protected]

APN 2005-04-CMY: Integrated RegionalStudies of Global Change in MonsoonAsia: Phase I:APN/SCOPE/START RapidAssessment Project of Global Change inMonsoon AsiaPROJECT LEADER:A. Snidvongs, SEASTART RC,THAILANDEmail: [email protected]

APN 2005-05-CMY: Climate Variability andHuman Activities in Relation to NortheastAsia and their Land-Ocean Interactionsand their Implications for Coastal ZoneManagementPROJECT LEADER:V. Kasyanov, RussianAcademy of Scientists,RUSSIAN FEDERATIONEmail: [email protected]

APN 2005-06-NSY: PAGES SECONDOPEN SCIENCE MEETINGPROJECT LEADER: J. Brigham-Grette,University of Massachusetts, USAEmail: [email protected]

APN 2005-07-NMY: Standardisation andSystematisation of Carbon-budgetObservation in Asian TerrestrialEcosystems Based on AsiaFlux Framework PROJECT LEADER: S.Yamamoto, NationalInstitute of Advanced Industrial Scienceand Technology, JAPANEmail: [email protected]

APN 2005-08-NSY: The Surface Ocean —Lower Atmosphere Study (SOLAS)International Summer School 2005:Attendance of young scientists from theAPN region.PROJECT LEADER: G. Shi, ChineseAcademy of Sciences, CHINAEmail: [email protected]

APN 2005-09-NSY:The 2005 Open Meetingof the Human Dimensions of Global

Environmental Change Research Community PROJECT LEADER: L. Srivastava,TheEnergy and Resources Institute, INDIAEmail: [email protected]

APN 2005-10-NSY: Development andApplication of Climate Extreme Indicesand Indicators for monitoring Trends inClimate Extremes and their Socio-economic Impacts in South AsianCountries.PROJECT LEADER: M. M. Sheikh, GlobalChange Impact Studies Centre (GCISC),PAKISTANEmail: [email protected];[email protected]

APN 2005-11-NSY: DIVERSITAS FirstOpen Science Conference 2005:Travelfund for scientists from developingcountries in the Asia Pacific region PROJECT LEADER: K. S. Bawa,AshokaTrust for Research in Ecology and theEnvironment, INDIAEmail: [email protected]

APN 2005-12-NSY: Vulnerabilities of thecarbon-climate system: Carbon pools inWetlands/Peatlands as positive feedbacksto global warmingPROJECT LEADER: F. Parish, GlobalEnvironment Centre, MALAYSIAEmail: [email protected]

APN 2005-13-NSY: Supporting regionalcapacity contributions to LOICZ IIdevelopment at the IGBP/IHDP LOICZ IIInaugural Open Science Meeting 27-29June 2005.PROJECT LEADER: F. Lansigan, UPLB,PhilippinesEmail: [email protected]

APN 2005-14-NSY: Community relocationas an option for adaptation to the effectsof climate change and climate variability inPacific Island Countries (PICs) PROJECT LEADER: J. Campbell, Universityof Waikato, NEW ZEALANDEmail: [email protected]

APN 2005-15-NSG: Climate changeimpacts on the ecology of the rice pestcomplex and the resulting threat to foodsecurity and farming economy in SouthAsia.PROJECT LEADER: N. Pallewatta,University of Colombo, SRI LANKAEmail: [email protected];[email protected]

APN 2005-16-NSY: Asian NeighboursNetwork:Training Through ResearchPROJECT LEADER: C. G. Skilbeck,University of Technology,AustraliaEmail: [email protected]

APN 2005-17-NSG: Optimisationstrategies for the management of changein coastal zones and inland waters caused

by Salinity Intrusion.PROJECT LEADER: G. Costa, OpenPolytechnic of New Zealand,NEW ZEALANDEmail: [email protected]

APN 2005-18-NMY: The HumanDimensions of Urban Ecosystems:Applying the Human Ecosystems Model(HEM) to Urban EnvironmentalManagement in ASEAN PROJECT LEADER: P. Marcotullio,United Nations University Institute ofAdvanced Studies, JAPANEmail: [email protected]

APN 2005-19-NSG: Implementation of theLOICZ II Science Plan through Regionaland National Workshops, Synthesis andPolicy Assessment, Gap-filling Studies,Capacity Building and Networking in theSouth Asian RegionPROJECT LEADER: N.Wikramanayake,National Science Foundation, Sri LankaEmail: [email protected]; [email protected]

APN 2005-20-NMY: Assessment of theEffects of High Particulate Pollutants onPulmonary Health Status in SelectedMega-cities of South AsiaPROJECT LEADER:A. P. Mitra, NationalPhysical Laboratory, INDIAEmail: [email protected]

APN 2005-21-NMY: Agricultural Land UsePolicy in East and South Asia — RapidlyChanging Landscapes and its Impacts onRegional Food Security and its FutureScenarioPROJECT LEADER: K. S. Rajan,International Institute of InformationTechnology, INDIAEmail: [email protected];[email protected]

APN 2005-22-NMY: Asian OzonePollution in Eurasian Perspective PROJECT LEADER: H.Akimoto, JapanAgency for Marine-Earth Science andTechnology, JAPANEmail: [email protected]

APN 2005-23-NSY: The DegradedEcosystem Restoration in the Arid andSemi-arid Northern China-MongoliaRegionPROJECT LEADER: H.Wang, ChineseAcademy of Science, CHINAEmail: [email protected]

APN 2005-24-NSG: Impact of GlobalChange on the Availability of Fodder andForage and Performance of Livestock inSouth AsiaPROJECT LEADER: M. E. Babar, Universityof Veterinary and Animal Sciences,PAKISTANEmail: [email protected]

Projects Funded

by APN in

2005/2006

From the

Annual Call for

Regional

Proposals

Process

APN Funded Projects


P A G E 2 3

3-4 MAY. Group on Earth Observations(GEO-1) Meeting. Geneva, Switzerland.Contact: GEO Secretariat:<[email protected]>

10-13 MAY. CLIMAG Conference.Geneva, Switzerland.Contact:Alix Cotumaccio<[email protected]>

16-20 MAY. International GLOBECSymposium: Climate Variability and Sub-Arctic Marine Ecosystems.Victoria,Canada. Contact: GLOBEC IPO<[email protected]> Web:<http://www.globec.org>

17-19 MAY. IGFA and ICSU Workshopon the Interface between Global Changeand Development-Oriented Research.Stockholm, Sweden.

23-27 MAY. 6th Session of theWESTPAC Subcommission. Nha Trang,Vietnam. Contact: Miguel Fortes<[email protected]>

4-5 June. ECO ASIA (EnvironmentCongress for Asia and the Pacific).Yonago, Japan. Contact:Web:<http://www.ecoasia.org/main/new5.html>

20-24 JUNE. 31st InternationalSymposium on Remote Sensing ofEnvironment. Saint Petersburg,Russian Federation. Contact:Web: <www.niersc.spb.ru/isrse/call_for_papers.shtml>

20-24 JUNE. 5th International ScientificConference on the Global Energy andWater Cycle Experiment (GEWEX).Irvine, USA. Contact:Web:<http://www.gewex.org/5thconf.htm>

20-25 JUNE. 5th International ScientificConference on the Global Energy and

Water Cycle. Orange County, California.Contact:Web:<http://www.gewex.org/5thconf.htm>

21-23 JUNE. GECHS Workshop onHuman Security and Climate Change. Oslo, Norway. Contact:<[email protected]> Web: <http://www.cicero.uio.no/humsec/>

23-25 JUNE. IGBP/AIMES ESSInternational Postdoctoral ScientistNetwork for Earth Systems Science.Colorado, USA. Contact: NatalieMahowald <[email protected]> Web: <http://www.asp.ucar.edu/ess/>

27-28 June. PAGES/CLIVAR workshop:‘Reconstructing past climates for futureprediction: Integrating high-resolutionpalaeodata for meaningful prediction inthe Australasian region’.Australia,TBA.Contact: Chris Turney<[email protected]>

27-29 JUNE. LOICZ II InauguralOpen Science Meeting. Egmondaan Zee,The Netherlands. Contact:<[email protected]> Web:<http://www.loicz.org/conference>

19-22 JULY. 2005 WatershedManagement Conference.Williamsburg,USA Contact:Web:<http://www.asce.org/conferences/watershedmanagement2005/>

26-28 JULY. First InternationalSymposium on Terrestrial and ClimateChange in Mongolia. Ulaanbaatar,Mongolia.Contact: <[email protected]>Web: <http://www.suiri.tsukuba.ac.jp/~raise/IWSTCM2005/MongoliaSymp_05-07_-3.pdf>

2-11 AUG. Dynamics and Variability ofMonsoon Systems and their Effect onClimate”. IAMAS Scientific Assembly

2005. Beijing, China. Contact:Web:<http://www.iamas2005.com>

10-12 AUG. 2nd PAGES OpenScience Meeting. Beijing, China.Contact: PAGES IPO<[email protected]> Web:<http://www.pages2005.org>

29 AUG – 1 SEPT. SCOR ExecutiveCommittee Meeting. Cairns,Queensland,Australia. Contact:<http://www.jhu.edu/~scor/2005EC.htm>

11-15 SEPT.Asia-Pacific Climate ChangeSeminar.Yokohama, Japan.

19-23 SEPT. 15th InternationalFederation of Agricultural Movements(IFOAM) Congress.Adelaide,Australia.Contact: http://www.nasaa.com.au/ifoam/

26-28 SEPT. 24th Session of the IPCC.Montreal, Canada. Contact:Web:http://www.ipcc.ch/calendar.htm

29 SEP – 9 OCT. 13th PICES AnnualMeeting: Mechanisms of Climate andHuman Impacts on Ecosystems inMarginal Seas and Shelf Regions.Vladiostok, Russia. Contact: PICESSecretariat <[email protected]>Web: <http://www.pices.int/>

1-5 OCT. Open Science Conference:Global Change in Mountain Regions.Perth, Scotland. Contact:Web:<http://www.mountain.conf.uhi.ac.uk/>

9-12 NOV. 1st DIVERSITASInternational Conference onBiodiversity. Integratingbiodiversity science for humanwell-being. Oaxaca, Mexico.Contact: DIVERSITAS Secretariat<[email protected]> Web:<http://www.diversitas-osc1.org/>

9-13 OCT. 2005 Open Meeting ofthe Human Dimensions of GlobalEnvironmental Change ResearchCommunity. Bonn, Germany.Contact: Liz Mullin<[email protected]> Web: <http://www.ihdp.org>

13-17 NOV. Greenhouse 2005 :Actionon Climate Control. Melbourne,Australia. Contact:<[email protected]>

17-19 OCT. 9th InternationalSymposium on Physical Measurementsand Signatures in Remote Sensing(ISPMSRS). Beijing, China. Contact:Dr. Shunlin Liang<[email protected]> Web:<http://www.ispmsrs2005.org/>

25-28 OCT. 2005 IGFA Meeting.Alexandria,Virginia.Web: http://www.joss.ucar.edu/joss_psg/meetings/igfa/

28 NOV – 9 DEC. COP 11 andCOP/MOP 1. Montreal, Canada.Contact:Web:<http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_11/items/3394.php>

21-26 JAN. 1st iLEAPS ScienceConference. Boulder, USA.Contact: Michael Boy <[email protected]>Web: <http://www.atm.helsinki.fi/ILEAPS/boulder/>

22-27 March. 4th World Water Forum.Mexico City, Mexico. Contact:WorldWater Council <[email protected]> Web: <http://www.worldwatercouncil.org/announcemt_stockholm_2004.shtml>

2006

2005

Calendar of Worldwide Global Change Events

APN Secretariat5th Floor, IHD Centre Building, 1-5-1 Wakinohama Kaigan Dori, Chuo-ku, Kobe 651-0073, JapanTel: +81-78-230-8017, Fax: +81-78-230-8018Email: [email protected]: http://www.apn-gcr.org

Views expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily represent those of the APN Secretariat.APN Newsletter Editor: Jody Chambers Design and Layout:Asahi Media International

Events in bold are APN or APN co-sponsored events