New Funding for Climate Change Adaptation in Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean

OTTAWA, March 18, 2013 /CNW/ - Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Environment Canada (EC) today announced 12 new projects to help Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean address threats to water resources resulting from a changing climate.

The Adaptation Research Initiative in Asia (ARI-Asia) and the Adaptation Research Initiative in Latin America and the Caribbean (ARI-Americas) are two three-year initiatives of  $10 million each which aim to build a strong base of evidence on adaptation options to safeguard water resources and to inform decision-makers about the most effective use and targeting of climate change funding.

"With our fast-start financing, we are supporting important and innovative initiatives, such as the ones that are being carried out by ARI-Americas and ARI-Asia through the International Development Research Centre," said Canada's Environment Minister Peter Kent. "These efforts will help developing countries be better equipped to deal with climate change, and we are very proud of the work we are doing in this area."

ARI-Asia and ARI-Americas will focus on critical adaptation issues ranging from the frequency and intensity of floods and droughts, to the availability and use of water resources with goal of informing strategies to improve planning, coordination, and decision-making to safeguard lives and livelihoods.

"From floods, to drought, and landslides, water-related disasters are increasingly frequent and severe," says IDRC Acting President Jean Lebel.  "ARI-Asia and ARI-Americas will help scientists develop strategies that will help the world's most vulnerable adapt to a changing climate where we're bound to see increased pressure on water resources."

ARI-Asia and ARI-Americas builds on the success of IDRC's adaptation research in Africa, which with $10 million in fast-start financing, supports seven projects through the African Adaptation Research Centres initiative. This programming is managed by IDRC as part of the Government of Canada's $1.2 billion commitment to fast-start financing promised under the Copenhagen Accord.

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For more information, visit www.idrc.ca and see Backgrounder - New Funding for Climate Change Adaptation in Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

About IDRC
A key part of Canada's aid program, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) supports research in developing countries to promote growth and development. IDRC also encourages sharing this knowledge with policymakers, other researchers, and communities around the world. The result is innovative, lasting local solutions that aim to bring change to those who need it most.

Backgrounder

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New Projects: Adaptation Research Initiative in Asia and Adaptation Research Initiative in Latin America and the Caribbean (ARI-Americas)

From the flooded streets of Bangkok, the eroding coastlines of the Caribbean, to the melting glaciers of the Andes and Himalayas, the impacts of climate change continue to affect communities and threaten critical water resources.  The Adaptation Research Initiative in Asia (ARI-Asia) and the Adaptation Research Initiative in Latin America and the Caribbean (ARI-Americas) is managed by IDRC as part of the Government of Canada's $1.2 billion commitment to fast-start financing promised under the Copenhagen Accord.

The projects will run for three years and are valued at $10 million total for each region.

In Guyana, Grenada, Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad, researchers will assess how climate change might affect the frequency and intensity of floods, droughts, and the availability and use of water resources.  In Thailand, researchers will focus on providing evidence to improve planning, coordination, and decision-making to help safeguard lives and livelihoods in the event of floods like the one in Bangkok in 2011 that left 800 people dead and caused an estimated $47 billion in damages.  In Central America, where cities are growing and drought is increasing, researchers will investigate the 24,000 community-based organizations that supply drinking water and consider how they could adapt their practices to maximize water security for rural and sub-urban residents.

The institutions in Asia awarded grants are:

• Center for Mountain Ecosystem Studies, Kunming Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China: $1,526,000 to inform effective water governance in the Asian highlands of China, Nepal, and Pakistan.
• Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), India: $1,499,300 for research on adapting strategies to supply water in rapidly urbanizing watersheds in a changing climate.
• Unit for Social and Environmental Research, Faculty of Social Science, Chiang Mai University, Thailand: $1,234,000 for research on the adaptation of inland aquaculture to climate change in Northern Thailand.
• Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI), Cambodia: $1,499,800 to carry out research that will inform water governance and climate change adaptation in Cambodia.
• Chinese Center for Agricultural Policy, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China: $1,496,600 to improve water resources management and adaptation to climate change in the vulnerable north China plain and Poyang Lake region.
• Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), Thailand: $1,428,200 to support improved flood management planning in Thailand.

The institutions in the Americas awarded grants are:

• Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE), Costa Rica: $1,477,900 to adapt community-based water supply in Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica to a changing climate.
• Centro del Agua del Trópico Húmedo para América Latina y el Caribe (CATHALAC), Panama: $1,485,800 to enhance water security in Guatemala and the Dominican Republic under a changing climate.
• University of the West Indies, Barbados: $1,499,900 toward sustainable water management in the face of climate change in small island states of the Caribbean, such as Trinidad, Jamaica, Barbados, Guyana, and Grenada.
• Fundación Bariloche, Argentina: $1,500,000 to support research on adaptation to water stress in the Comahue region of Argentina.
• Agua Sustentable, Bolivia: $1,077,600 to strengthen local ability to cope and adapt to climate change in the Bolivian Altiplano.
• Centro de Cambio Global, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile: $1,298,000 for research on vulnerability and adaptation to climate change and variability in the Maipo Basin of central Chile.

SOURCE: International Development Research Centre

Isabelle Bourgeault-Tassé
([phone]
[email protected]
@IDRC_CRDI