Enhancing capacity to address climate change in the global South
Beijing, 10-22 October 2016- The 14 day ‘Advanced Training Workshop on Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) in Arid Areas‘ was held at the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR). Co-organized by UNEP-IEMP and the Chinese Ecosystem Research Network (CERN), it was a part of the training workshop series launched by National Development and Reform Commission of China (NDRC) for developing countries to implement the capacity building initiatives announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping during UNFCCC 21st Conference of Parties (COP 21) and to promote South-South Cooperation on Climate Change (SSCCC).
The workshop focused on the long-term monitoring and good practices of ecosystem-based adaptation in arid and semi-arid areas, climate change vulnerability assessment and resilience building, geographic information system and remote sensing applications under these themes. Thematic lectures, interactive discussions, field visits, and culture excursion were also organized during the workshop.
Twenty-five (25) participants from 14 developing countries including Benin, Vietnam, Cameroon, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Kenya, Niger, Seychelles, Senegal, Zambia, Mongolia, Iran and Russia attended the training workshop. The participants comprised of a mix of government officials, researchers, practitioners, NGO heads and students.
The workshop was opened by Dr Jian Liu, Director, UNEP-IEMP with a keynote address, followed by a presentation on the relationship between climate change and ecosystems and how they could help us adapt to the impacts of climate change. After briefly highlighting the inception and purpose of setting up UNEP-IEMP, he gave a detailed overview of Centre’s areas of work, including EbA South and the Centre’s Flagship Programme on Climate, Ecosystems, and Livelihoods (CEL).
Ms Silvia Cazetta from UNEP-IEMP provided an overview about EbA South highlighting the key achievements and challenges. She further spoke about the next phase of the project.
During the course of the Workshop, the participants had the opportunity to learn and exchange ideas with experts from CERN, CAS, UNEP-IEMP among others. They also received China’s experiences and lessons learnt on ecosystem-based adaptation in the past decades, which enhanced their understanding of how scientific approaches and ecosystem management strategies can help developing countries adapt to climate change.
The participants unanimously felt that the proceedings have immensely contributed to their skills and expertise. They also discussed the new avenues for future collaboration, and expressed deep interest in sharing the knowledge, research and information gathered in their respective country.
They also explored various opportunities to collaborate with UNEP-IEMP and CERN, including staff exchange programmes and postdoctoral position within Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), joint research project application on EbA, collaboration with Africa on the ‘Great Green Wall’ initiative in Senegal; dust storms monitoring and its prevention measures in West Asia; further capacity building on GIS & RS in Seychelles; and building sustainable green farms in Pakistan etc.
