apn newsletter€¦ · about climate change 10 ssds stands for sub-regional ____ development...

Message from the Director

APN NewsletterVOLUME 13, ISSUE 4 October 2007

It is a pity to start thismessage with sadnews. Last 3September, Dr. AshieshProsad Mitra, HonoraryScientist of Eminence,National PhysicalLaboratory of India and

the APN Scientific Planning Group (SPG)Member for India passed away at the age of 81.He was a shining-star environmental scientistrepresenting developing countries and one ofthe strongest driving forces of the APN from thevery early days of its establishment. On behalfof the APN, let me extend my deepest sympathyto the family of Dr. Mitra and to all who havebeen with him. We will dedicate the next issueof the Newsletter to Dr. Mitra and feature hispast work with the APN and global environmentalchange.

I am pleased to report that the APN’s7th Steering Committee (SC) Meetingsuccessfully convened at theSecretariat Office in Kobe on 4-5October. It was the first substantial SCMeeting chaired by Mr. Samuel Peñafieland participated by new members whowere elected and appointed at the 12th

Inter-Governmental Meeting (IGM) inHonolulu. The 6th CapacityDevelopment Committee (CDC)Meeting was jointly held with the SCMeeting this time to effectively manage

the CAPaBLE Programme (evaluation of PhaseI activities and preparation for CAPaBLE PhaseIII).

Several important topics were discussed in bothmeetings and I convey my sincere gratitude tothe participants. They gave valuablesuggestions on how to proceed with theevaluation of the APN Second Strategic Phase(2SP) and the development of the ThirdStrategic Plan. The work plan will be elaboratedand proposed at the next IGM/SPG Meeting tobe held on 18-20 March 2008, in Colombo, SriLanka.

Preceding the SC meeting, the 1st SoutheastAsian Sub-Regional Committee (SEA SRC)Meeting was held in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 20-21 August. Let me express my appreciation tothe participants for their valuable contribution

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

Try the APN Crossword Challenge! All answers can be foundthroughout the newsletter, so read the newsletter and thentest your knowledge on Global Change. The solution will beposted on the APN Website one month following thenewsletter publication.

Across1 Country host of the UNFCCC COP13/MOP33 A programme based around the Tonle Sap Lake in

Cambodia & was developed to raise awarenessabout climate change

10 SSDS stands for Sub-regional ____ DevelopmentStrategy

12 A process of analysing real situations & predictingthe outcome of a specific event, making it theappropriate methodology for flood-related landslides

13 Host of an APN project Kick-off Meeting and Agent-Based Modelling Training

15 A country whose topography is dominated by theTonle Sap Lake, the largest freshwater lake inSoutheast Asia

19 These models now form the backbone of the climatechange research activities in Bangladesh, Nepal &Pakistan through the APN completed Project

20 ___-Based Model is the platform of methodology thatwill be used for the APN Project "AssessingVulnerability of Communities & Understanding PolicyImplications of Adaptation Responses to Flood-related Landslides in Asia

23 "ECO __ Fukuoka" aims to promote an eco-friendlylifestyle among citizens & businesses in the Fukuoka

24 A Prefectural Government in Japan who is co-organising an international seminar with APN

25 APN brochure in native language of a membercountry that has been recently uploaded at the APNwebsite

Down2 The organisation that held its 20th Scientific Steering

Committee Meeting in Ottawa4 CITES stands for Computational Information

Technologies for ____ Studies5 Six additional user reception systems of this kind were

donated by China to A-P developing countries as an in-kind contribution to GEO

6 A newly-developed system by the RCAST-UT group usedfor online measurement of black carbon

7 APN new Programme Fellow for Scientific Affairs8 The software that will be used for modelling & simulation

of the study areas within Asia in one APN project beingled by Dr. Espaldon

9 Chair of the Scientific Committee of the IHDP whorecently visited the APN Secretariat Office

11 The three priority research themes of MAIRS are ____ ,semi-arid zones and mountains

14 The country that hopes to become the leadingenvironmental nation in the 21st century

16 Biogenic and ____ burning activities constitute a majorsource of GHG aerosol emissions in the Mekong RiverBasin Sub-Region

17 A unique modelling network initiative in Asia which heldsuccessful workshops where a number of CAPaBLEproject results were presented to several hundredmodelling researchers from the Asia-Pacific countries

18 APN national Focal Point for China21 new APN SPG Member for Cambodia22 A simplified version of reality

IN THIS ISSUE:

Message from the DirectorCrossword ChallengeMessage from the SC ChairNews from the SecretariatAPN Out and About- 20th START SSC Meeting- ECO ASIA 2007- Asia-Pacific Regional Workshop onGEOSS Information Access

ARCP Funded Projects- Assessing Vulnerability ofCommunities and UnderstandingImplications of Adaptation Responses toFlood-related Landslides in Asia- Investigation on the Impacts of Urban-Rural Air Quality and Climate in SEA

CAPaBLE ComprehensiveResearch Projects- Enhancement of National Capacitiesin the Application of Simulation Modelsfor the Assessment of Climate Changeand Its Impacts on Water Resourcesand Food and Agricultural Production- Integrated Assessment Model forDeveloping Countries and Analysis ofMitigation Options and SustainableDevelopment Opportunities- Integrated Model Development forWater and Food Security Assessmentsand Analysis of the Potential ofMitigation Options and SustainableDevelopment Opportunities inTemperate Northeast Asia

CAPaBLE CapacityBuilding Projects- Development of a MEEP to RaiseAwareness about Climate Change inCambodia- Integrated Participatory Analysis ofSustainability in the GMS- GHG and Aerosol Emissions underDifferent Vegetation Land Use in theMekong River Basin Sub-Region- Scoping Workshop in South AsiaMAIRS RAP Results for DesigningFuture Research Agenda and CapacityBuilding Requirement- Capacity Building to StudyInterrelations between AtmosphericComposition, Anthropogenic Load andClimate Change in Northern Asia

APN MembersARCP 2007/08 ProjectsCAPaBLE 2007/08 ProjectsNewsletter QuestionnaireCalendar

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APN 7th SC Meeting/6th CDC Meeting in Kobe, Japan

2 APN NEWSLETTER, VOLUME 13, ISSUE 4

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Message from the Steering Committee ChairMany scientific assess-ments including thosereleased by theIntergovernmental Panel onClimate Change (IPCC)reported that globalwarming and changes inthe global system wouldlikely become more evident

in the coming decades. In fact, recent climate eventsare causing severe drought, heavy rainfalls,disastrous floods, heat waves, and melting of thearctic and mountain glaciers in various parts of theworld.

These phenomena are very alarming andenvironmentalists and governments are emphasisingthe need to put all efforts to address the issue. Whileinternational initiatives have focused mainly onmitigation, that of cutting greenhouse gas emissionsand retooling the energy systems, the developingnations now clamour for ways to cope with theimpacts of climate change.

The early jolt of climate change is believed to causea broad array of impacts on human and naturalsystems especially on health, food, water resourcesand socio-economic welfare. The challenge,therefore, to scientific communities and the moreaffluent countries is the development of adaptationstrategies to negate or at least mitigate the impactsbeing felt across sectors of societies. Althoughclimate change impacts vary regionally, developingcountries are the most vulnerable, as they heavily

depend on climate-sensitive industries such astourism, agriculture, fisheries and forestry.

Focusing in the Asia-Pacific region, developingcountries have lesser adaptive capacity to cope withclimate change impacts than developed countriesdue to weaker infrastructures, limited technologyaccess, and low income. These countries requirestrengthened knowledge base, with extensive dataand modelling, to refine projections of future impactsand insights on the most effective responses.

The role of global change programmes in advancingresearch on how climate change will affect terrestrialecosystems, water supply and ocean systems, isvital in order to manage risks and develop soundpolicies. The research and capacity building activitiesof these programmes should strengthen technicaland scientific planning processes, provide reliabledata to predict impacts and response measures, anddevelop technologies suited for countries’ specificneeds.

With this the APN becomes highly relevant beingable to pool expertise and financial resources inpromoting global change research and capacitybuilding activities. Through its supported projects,APN provides scientific input to policy/decision-makers to guide them in formulating strong reactiveand proactive adaptive policies to reduce future risks.As the APN Steering Committee Chair, I encourageAPN member countries to continue fostering globalchange research and, on behalf of the APN family, Iinvite you all to cooperate with us in this pursuit.

The Asia-Pacific Network forGlobal Change Research (APN)*is an international network ofGovernments whose mission is toenable investigation of change inthe Earth’s life support systems asit occurs in the Asia-Pacific regionto:1. Identify, explain and predict

changes in the context of bothnatural and anthropogenic(human-induced) forcing;

2. Assess potential regional andglobal vulnerability of naturaland human systems; and

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

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

at the discussions in the meeting. Theirearnest efforts and dedication towards APNactivities are much appreciated. As aregional network, APN is expecting moreinnovative suggestions from the members,based on extensive exchange of ideas atthe sub-regional level.

Following recommendations at the 12th IGM,we are now implementing a new system ofCalls for Proposals for funding from April2008. All proponents who submittedsummary proposals were notified of theresults of the Stage 1 Review. Those whopassed the initial screening process wereasked to submit a full proposal, until the endof October, for further consideration. I expectthat the implementation and furtherstreamlining of this new system will easeproponents’ paperwork and help improve thequality of the proposals which, in turn, willlead to better research and capacitydevelopment activities.

The last quarter of theyear is packed with alot of importantconferences andmeetings. One of themajor meetings to beheld in the Asia-Pacific region is the13th Conference of theParties to the UnitedNations FrameworkConvention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)/3rd Meeting of the Parties to the KyotoProtocol (COP13/MOP3) in Bali, Indonesia,in December. The APN Secretariat isexploring all possible options to effectivelyparticipate in this event. We look forward tomeeting many of the APN members and otherglobal change partners in Bali.

Another important meeting, the Group ofEarth Observations (GEO) MinisterialSummit, will take place in Cape Town, SouthAfrica on 30 November. The two APN Scoping

Workshops on Global Earth Observations andthe Capacity Building Needs of the Region:Focus – Climate will be introduced as one ofthe early achievements of GEOSS.

In the above meetings and in other upcominginternational/regional events on climate/globalchange, adaptation is seen as a priority topic.While it has been one of the major issues inthe APN 2SP, we may have to further focuson adaptation and think of including it as oneof the main scientific themes. I again welcomeyour input on this issue.

...from page 1- Message from the Director

SC reception with the Hyogo Governor, Mr. Ido (center in front row)

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3APN NEWSLETTER, VOLUME 13, ISSUE 4

News from the SecretariatStrengthening Ties with ChinaThe APN Secretariat Director, Mr. Hiroki Hashizume and the national Focal Point (nFP) forJapan and Steering Committee (SC) Member, Mr. Naoya Tsukamoto met with the nFP forChina, Mr. Xuedu Lu at the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, during their missiontrip in Beijing last 11 October. Taking the opportunity, Mr. Hashizume provided Mr. Lu withupdates on recent APN activities and changes in the Secretariat. On behalf of the APN, heacknowledged China’s contributions to APN highlighting regular participation at the Inter-Governmental Meetings and its ongoing effort to produce an APN brochure in Chinese.

Mr. Lu was pleased to learn about the outcomes of the 7th SC Meeting and suggested “adaptationto climate change” as one of the potential themes for the Science Agenda. Mr. Tsukamoto

APN to Hold an InternationalSeminar in KobeThe Asia-Pacific Network for GlobalChange Research (APN) and the HyogoPrefectural Government, are organising anInternational Seminar on “Global WarmingEcosystem / Biodiversity Changes: Facingthe Challenge of Changing Ecosystems”to be held on 2nd December, at the HyogoPrefectural Museum of Art in Kobe, Japan.This is one of the pre-evets for the G8Environment Ministers Meeting to be heldin May 2008, in Kobe. In this seminar, Asia-Pacific scientists who study the influencesof global warming on biodiversity andecosystems will speak on the latestscientific findings and point out theimportance of adaptation.

Admission is free but interested participantsare advised to submit an application formto the APN Secretariat. Please see theflyers posted on the APN website: http://www.apn-gcr.org/en/indexe.html (Englishflyer) and http://www.apn-gcr.org/jp/indexj.html (Japanese flyer) under the“What’s New” section. The APN Secretariatlooks forward to having you there.

APN Brochure Available inJapanese and RussianJapanese and Russian APN brochures arenow available on the APN website whiletranslations into native languages of otherAPN member countries are ongoing.

agreed on the idea and noted that the Ministry ofthe Environment, Japan hopes to increase itscontribution to APN targeting adaptation.

Because Mr. Lu believes in the significance ofregional collaboration and is heavily involved inglobal environmental affairs, he expressed hiswillingness to further promote APN. This is awelcome encouragement for the APN and theSecretariat looks forward to China’s continuedinterest and commitment through Mr. Lu’sleadership.

Left to right: Mr. Naoya Tsukamoto, Mr.Xuedu Lu, and Mr. Hiroki Hashizume

Professor Young Visits the APNSecretariatProf. Oran R. Young, Chair of the ScientificCommittee of the International HumanDimensions Programme on GlobalEnvironmental Change (IHDP), visited theAPN Secretariat on 27th September, togetherwith Dr. Yoshiki Yamagata of the NationalInstitute for Environmental Studies (NIES),Japan. Professor Young’s visit provided a

APN Sees Potential Partner to Promote Research CollaborationThe APN takes another step forward in exploring collaborative activities with potential partnersby having Mr. Robert Morini, Consul, Science and Innovation Section of the British Consulate-General in Osaka at the APN Secretariat Office in Kobe, Japan, on 23rd October. He informedthe Secretariat of his team’s initiatives in promoting research collaboration in strategic areas,explained funding opportunities for scientific exchange with the United Kingdom (UK) anddiscussed future work of mutual interest. As part of their activities, they have organised seminarsinvolving the participation and collaboration not only of scientists based in UK but also inJapan and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The Secretariat briefed Mr. Morini onAPN and its activities.

APN Secretariat with Mr. Morini (middle)

APN Secretariat with Dr. Yamagata (2nd fromleft) and Prof. Young (2nd from right)

perfect opportunity for both APN and IHDP to update each other on new projects and strategiesin global change (GC) research and capacity building, specifically in the area of humandimensions. He also expressed his heartfelt thanks to the APN for its support towards IHDP’sactivities in the past, particularly the Open Meeting and the International Human DimensionsWorkshop. It is expected that the APN and IHDP partnership will be further strengthenedthrough continued collaboration on GC-related efforts in the future.

Mr. Morini ensured that he would keep the Secretariatinformed of the seminar and workshop schedules thatthey plan to organise for dissemination to the APNmembers. He also agreed to look into the possibilityof co-organising an event with the APN. Through hisvisit, the Secretariat hopes to establish a solidpartnership with the Science and Innovation Sectionfor mutually beneficial outcomes.

Hardcopies of the English andJapanese brochures are alsoavailable for distribution.Please feel free to visit theAPN Products webpage(http://www.apn-gcr.org/en/products.html) to downloadelectronic copies of thebrochures and other APNpublications.


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News from the SecretariatAPN Holds 1st SEA Sub-Regional Committee Meeting in Jakarta

Effective communications among scientistsand policy-makers is one of the main goalsof APN in order to achieve its mission offostering global change research in the Asia-Pacific region. Thus, the APN, being a uniquenetwork of governments with participants fromboth the science and policy communities,welcomes new mechanisms that strengthenthe links between these two groups, and waspleased at the initiative of its membercountries in Southeast Asia to form a sub-regional committee that would address thisneed.

In this respect and following therecommendations at the 12th

Intergovernmental Meeting (IGM), the 1st

Southeast Asian Sub-Regional Committee(SEA-SRC) Meeting was held in Jakarta,Indonesia, on 21-22 August 2007. The aimof this meeting was to try a new model to

improve communications among the APNmembers, specifically in SEA, and in sodoing, replace and enhance the function ofthe previous APN liaison officers.

National Focal Points (nFP) and/or ScientificPlanning Group (SPG) members or theirrepresentatives from Cambodia, Indonesia,Malaysia, Thailand and Viet Nam, includingmembers from the APN Secretariat attendedthe two-day meeting. The participantsdiscussed the mechanisms for the operationof the sub-regional committee, including itsorganisational structure, membership andfunctions. Ms. Liana Bratasida, nFP forIndonesia, was elected chair of the sub-regional committee, as its initiator, with a termof two years.

Country report presentations were given byeach country participant, focusing on needs,

APN Scientific Officer is BackDr. Linda Anne Stevenson, APN Secretariat Scientific Officer, is now officially back to work after availing one-year maternity leave and child care leave. She gave birth to a very charming boy, Skye. Congratulations,Linda!

The Secretariat sorely missed Linda’s energetic drive. With her comeback, the APN sees boundless challengesto take a more pro-active role in promoting research and capacity building activities in the Asia-Pacific region.She will oversee the full range of the APN Scientific Activities including the implementation and furtherstreamlining of the new system of Calls for Proposals. Welcome back, Linda! The very best wishes of theAPN family go to you.

New Programme Fellow Joins APN SecretariatMr. Herbert L. Benzon, the newest addition to the APN Family, joined the Secretariat at the end of August as the Programme Fellow forScientific Affairs. Herbert assists the Scientific Officer, Dr. Linda Anne Stevenson, with the Calls for Proposals, management of fundedprojects, and other tasks in APN scientific affairs.

Ms. Liana Bratasida, nFP for Indonesia,chairs the 1st SEA SRC Meeting

The 29-year old Filipino finished both his Master’s Degree in Forestry, major in Forest Microbiology and minor inEnvironmental Science, and Bachelor of Science in Forestry major in Watershed Management at the Universityof the Philippines in Los Baños, Laguna. He worked as an Instructor at the Southern Luzon Polytechnic Collegefor almost two years, and then served as a Forest Supervisor in Malaysia for six months. A self-confessednature lover and bookworm, Mr. Benzon is in great expectations to learn many things of personal and professionalsignificance during his stay with APN. A warm welcome from the APN Secretariat, Herbert!

Skye, Linda’s baby boy,just turned one-year oldon 25 October

priorities, problems and possible solutions inrelation to global change research. Thisinformation sharing was considered importantto learn from each country’s experiences andto find synergies for future undertakings. It

APN Welcomes New SPG MemberLast August, the APN welcomed the new Scientific Planning Group (SPG) Member for Cambodia, Mr.Hourt Khieu. Mr. Khieu is a Senior Officer at the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry in Cambodiaand National Project Manager of the Tonle Sap Conservation Project, Global Environment Facility, UnitedNations Development Programme. He has been very helpful in translating the APN brochure into Cambodia’slocal language, Khmer. He also participated at the APN 1st Southeast Asian Sub-Regional CommitteeMeeting in Jakarta last 20-21 August 2007.

The APN extends its heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Khieu’s predecessor, Mr. Veasna Kum, who left his post topursue a graduate degree abroad. His excellent work, especially at the 11th and 12th Inter-GovernmentalMeeting (IGM) and SPG Meeting, is much appreciated.

A warm welcome to Mr. Khieu and very best wishes to Mr. Kum in his future endeavours!Mr. Hourt Khieu, new APNSPG Member for Cambodia


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APN Out and About20th START Scientific Steering Committee Meeting17-19 September 2007, Ottawa, Canada

The Asia-Pacific Network for Global ChangeResearch (APN) has again demonstrated therelevance of its work at the 15th EnvironmentCongress for Asia and the Pacific (ECO ASIA2007) held on 8-9 September, in FukuokaCity, Japan. During the discussion among the

The 20th Global Change System for Analysis,Research and Training (START) ScientificSteering Committee (SSC) Meeting was heldon 17-19 September 2007 in Ottawa,Canada. It was organised in collaborationwith the Canadian International DevelopmentAgency (CIDA). Dr. Amir Muhammed,member of START SSC and also the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research(APN) Scientific Planning Group Member forPakistan represented APN in this meeting.

On behalf of START and CIDA, the STARTSSC Co-Chair, Dr. Gordon McBean andActing Director-General, Policy Analysis andDevelopment Directorate, CIDA, Dr. P.Samson, welcomed the participants. Aspecial feature of the meeting was aWorkshop on Climate Risk Management andSustaining Ecosystem Goods and Servicesin Developing Countries. The workshopgenerated lively discussions on theimplications of climate change risks todeveloping countries and possible mitigationmeasures.

Future of START Regional StructuresAn important issue discussed during themeeting was the future of the START regionalstructures that have played a significant rolein the promotion of capacity building activitiesand global change research in thedeveloping countries. The START RegionalResearch Centres and the regionalcommittees have been provided modest

financial support in the past out of a grant fromthe Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs,Directorate General for internationalCooperation (DGIS). This grant has nowexpired and there is no chance to be renewed.Besides, International Council for Science(ICSU) and Earth Systems SciencePartnership (ESSP) components haveestablished their own regional offices; someof which duplicate the activities of the STARTRegional Centres.

A working group organised during the STARTSSC Meeting discussed the above issuecomprehensively and recommended thecontinuation of the well-established regionalactivities in a suitable form and discuss thematter further with ICSU and the ESSPcomponent organisations to avoidunnecessary duplication of effort. STARTSecretariat was advised to review the matterand develop viable proposals to continue theessential regional activities in coordination withICSU and ESSP. It was also recommended thatmaximum effort be made by the regionalcomponents to raise funds from national andregional sources to undertake importantregional activities including meetings of theregional committees to plan collaborativeregional programmes.

APN and START CollaborationThe collaboration and cooperation betweenAPN and START were highlighted in apresentation given by Dr. Amir Muhammed on

behalf of the APN.Dr. Muhammedprovided a briefexplanation aboutthe APN anddiscussed its closepartnership withSTART. It was noted that the STARTInternational Secretariat kindly administersthe funds allocated for APN by the NationalScience Foundation/U.S. Climate ChangeScience Program. Dr. Muhammed, onbehalf of the APN, thanked the STARTSecretariat for their diligent work inadministering the APN’s funds and alsoacknowledged START’s role in the APNSteering Committee, CapacityDevelopment Committee, review of projectproposals, and the previous liaisonfunctions.

Dr. Muhammed also explained the APN’smajor activities, i.e., the Annual RegionalCall for Proposals (ARCP) and the ScientificCapacity Building and Enhancement forSustainable Development in DevelopingCountries (CAPaBLE) Programme.Through the APN’s Calls for Proposals, anumber of START’s research and capacitybuilding activities were funded.

The APN and START are set to strengthentheir partnership to further support researchprojects and capacity building activities inglobal environmental change.

Dr. Amir Muhammed

ECO ASIA 2007 - 15th Environment Congress for Asia and the Pacific8-9 September, Fukuoka City, Japan

participants, the APNSecretariat Director, Mr.Hiroki Hashizume,explained how the APNaddresses climatechange issues bypromoting research andcapacity buildingactivities.

This year’s ECO ASIAwas hosted by FukuokaCity and organised bythe Ministry of theEnvironment, Japan

address various global environmentalissues in line with sustainable developmentchallenges in the region by reaffirming theimportance of regional cooperation.

The meeting focused on two main themes,namely Waste Management andRecycling, and Climate Change. Guided bythese two topics, ECO ASIA 2007 soughtpossible actions to be taken by Asia andthe Pacific, keeping in mind upcomingmajor international meetings related to theenvironment in the Asia-Pacific region,including the 13th Conference of the Partiesto the United Nations FrameworkConvention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)and 3rd Meeting of the Parties to the KyotoProtocol (COP13/MOP3) to be held inDecember in Bali, Indonesia, and the

Partipants at the ECO ASIA 2007

(MOEJ). National delegates, includingministers, vice-ministers, and senior officialsfrom 17 countries in Asia and the Pacific, 11representatives from internationalorganisations, and a wide range of otherparticipants convened in Fukuoka City to



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APN Out and About

As part of APN’s ongoing efforts topromote its activities, Mr. HirokiHashizume, APN Secretariat Director,attended the Asia-Pacific RegionalWorkshop on Global Earth ObservationSystem of Systems (GEOSS)Information Access on 10-11 October, atChina Meteorological Administration,Beijing, China. A presentation was given,

on behalf of the APN, highlighting GEOSS-related research and capacity developmentcooperation in the Asia-Pacific.

Mr. Hashizume noted a number of APN-funded projects and activities related to Earthobservations. He particularly pointed out theoutcomes of the two APN Scoping Workshopson Global Earth Observations and theCapacity Building Needs of the Region: Focus– Climate. A brief summary of the two ScopingWorkshops is included in the Annex of EarlyAchievements to the Group on EarthObservations (GEO) Progress Report,submitted as a document for the FourthPlenary Session of GEO (GEO IV). The GEOSecretariat Director, Dr. José Achache,acknowledged the APN’s capacity buildingendeavour in line with the GEOSS principle.

As there were participants not familiar withthe APN, Mr. Hashizume also provided anoverview of APN’s other activities

emphasising the Calls for Proposals forthose who might be seeking funding.

About 100 representatives from variousorganisations and governments mostly fromthe Asia-Pacific region participated in theWorkshop on GEOSS Information Access,which is the last of the four regionalsymposia held to announce the GEOMinisterial Summit that will take place on30 November, in Cape Town, South Africa.The workshop raised awareness of GEOand GEOSS and generated regional interestfor the coming Summit. Progress onGEONETCast project, Chinese initiativeFENGYUNCast receiving stations, andGEOPortal data access opportunities andtheir benefits to regional users, were alsopresented. China announced the donationof six additional FENGYUNCast userreception systems to Asia-Pacificdeveloping countries as an in-kindcontribution to GEO.

Asia-Pacific Regional Workshop on GEOSS Information Access, 10-11 October, Beijing, China

Mr. Hiroki Hashizume, APN SecretariatDirector, presents APN GEOSS-relatedresearch and capacity building activities

...from page 5 - ECO ASIA 2007 ...

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Group of Eight (G8) Summit that will takeplace in July 2008 in Toyako, Japan.

ECO ASIA 2007 commenced withopening remarks from Dr. IchiroKamoshita, Minister of the Environmentof Japan, who was later elected as Chairof the meeting. He introduced “Becominga Leading Environmental Nation in the21st Century: Japan’s Strategy for aSustainable Society” and the Cool Earth50, a mid-to-long term climate strategy.He also highlighted Japan’s leadership inenhancing 3Rs (reduce, reuse, andrecycle) in waste management. Welcomeremarks by Mr. Hiroshii Yoshida, Mayorof Fukuoka City, Japan, followed. Heshared various advanced environmentalinitiatives taken by the municipalgovernment, presenting a campaignentitled “ECO Wave Fukuoka” to promotean eco-friendly lifestyle among citizensand businesses.

Dr. Chettiyappan Visvanathan of theAsian Institute of Technology facilitatedSession 1: Waste Management andRecycling, which discussed the kinds ofregional policies and measures thatshould be promoted in order to facilitatecollaboration among countries in theregion. Mr. Hideto Yoshida of the MOEJbriefly introduced the Japaneseexperience in developing a sound

material-cycle society followed by three lead-off presentations from Mayor Hiroshi Yoshidaof Fukuoka City, Dr. Truong Manh Tien of theMinistry of Natural Resources of Viet Nam, andMr. Taku Ohmura of the Asian DevelopmentBank.

Several points emerged during the discussionnoting the relevance of building a soundmaterial-cycle society by improving wastemanagement and recycling capacity in eachcountry. The Congress realised the importanceof developing and reinforcing activities toprevent illegal trade of wastes. Facilitation ofthe use of recyclable resources throughinternational trade was viewed as an importantstep to reduce environmental pollution andincrease resource productivity.

In terms of regional cooperation, the Congressencouraged sustained policy dialogue amongcountries in the region and raised thesignificance of available statistics to enablepolicy planning. It was pointed out that it iscritical to develop knowledge, technological,and educational infrastructures to disseminatevital information on policy and technology inthe region in close collaboration with variousstakeholders. The Congress also emphasisedthe need for further capacity development ofsmall and island countries and also throughinternational cooperation and collaborativeefforts at the regional level, in addition toindividual national and local efforts.

Further discussions dealt with the challengesfor waste and management recycling,national policy and local actions in eachcountry, good practices dissemination,private sector’s role, and synergies betweenclimate change issues and proper wastemanagement of 3Rs.

Session 2 discussed important issues inpromoting regional collaboration to cope withclimate change in the Asia-Pacific region. Dr.Shuzo Nishioka of the National Institute forEnvironmental Studies of Japan, the formerAPN Scientific Planning Group (SPG)Member for Japan, facilitated the session. Mr.Hideki Minamikawa of the MOEJ gave anintroductory speech on key climate changepolicies and measures being undertaken byJapan. Thereafter, three lead-off speecheswere given by Dr. Emil Salim of the SpecialEnvoy of the President of the Republic ofIndonesia, Mr. Kok Kee Chow of theUNFCCC Expert Group on TechnologyTransfer, and Prof. Nobuo Mimura of theIbaraki University of Japan and current SPGMember for Japan.

The APN was specifically cited by Mr. Chowas a regional network that promotes low-carbon technology in the Asia-Pacific regionby supporting a number of capacity buildingactivities and joint research projects. Buildinga low-carbon society was viewed necessary

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ARCP Funded Projects

Assessing Vulnerability of Communities and Understanding Policy Implications of AdaptationResponses to Flood-related Landslides in Asia (ARCP2007-17NMY-Espaldon)

The School of Environmental Science andManagement (SESAM) at the University ofthe Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), incooperation with the Asia-Pacific Networkfor Global Change Research (APN) and theDepartment of Geography at the UniversiteCatholique De Louvain in Belgium,conducted a Kick-off Meeting and TrainingWorkshop on Agent-Based Modelling (ABM)for the project Assessing Vulnerability ofCommunities and Understanding PolicyImplications of Adaptation Responses toFlood-related Landslides in Asia on 26-30July 2007 at the Training Room of SESAMin UPLB.

The project aims to identify landslide-proneareas in selected countries in Asia such asChina, Nepal, Philippines, and Viet Nam andassess their vulnerability by developing anagent-based model framework that could beused as a tool for decision - and policy-making. A model is a simplified version ofreality. Modelling is a process of analysingreal situations and predicting the outcomeof a specific event, thus making it theappropriate methodology for flood-relatedlandslides. An agent-based model, inparticular, is often used as a tool foranalysing social issues.

Dr. Ma. Victoria Espaldon of SESAM leadsthe project. She will be heading thePhilippine team, in collaboration with Dr.Damasa Macandog of the Institute ofBiological Sciences (IBS) and Dr. GloriaNelson of the Department of Social Science,College of Arts and Sciences. This team willbe assisted by Mr. Edwin Abucay, Ms. Ma.Charisma Malenab and Ms. Joan Pauline

Dr. Espaldon gives welcome address andopening remarks during the Kick-off Meeting

Dr. Acosta-Michlik presentsthe Portugal Case Study


Talubo (MS Environmental Science students).Other collaborating countries have yet tofinalise the composition of their researchteam.

The weeklong activity aimed to level off theexpectations of project partners, gave anoverview of the project objectives and trainedthe partners on the use of ABM, the platformof methodology that will be used for theproject. It also served as a venue for the otherAsian partners to present the case studiesconducted in their respective countries.

Faculty and students from SESAM, IBS andthe Department of Social Science andpartners from other Asian countriesparticipated in the activity. The Departmentof Hydrology and Meteorology of the NepalGovernment sent Ms. Archana Shrestha, ameteorologist from Kathmandu, who will alsolead the research team of Nepal. She saidthat she will also involve Nepalese studentsin the project. Dr. Yue Li of the Institute ofEnvironment and Sustainable Developmentof Agriculture, Chinese Academy ofAgricultural Sciences was represented by Dr.Gao Qhingzhu.

A welcome dinner was held the night beforethe actual training workshop. It was hostedby SESAM and attended by the participantsof the training workshop and other membersof the SESAM faculty.

The training session was led by Dr. LilibethAcosta-Michlik, an agricultural economist,currently working as a Senior Researcher atthe Department of Geography of UniversiteCatholique De Louvain in Belgium. Dr.

Acosta-Michlik has used ABM indifferent applications on variousprojects in Europe including theIntervulnerability and VISTAProjects. She presented casestudies where ABM was used inparticular areas in Portugal,Norway, France and England. Shealso facilitated the participants’hands-on training on NetLogo, thesoftware that will be used formodelling and simulation of the

study areaswithin Asia.T h eparticipantshad thechance touse the soft-ware andcreate theirown samplemodels.

The partici-pants visitedthe two pro-posed studyareas for the Philippines: Barangay Lalakayin Los Baños, Laguna and the municipalityof Infanta in Quezon province. These twoareas were both hit by flood-relatedlandslides in 2004 and 2006. The disastercaused by the landslides claimed lives andleft damage in the communities within thearea. The project will conduct a riskassessment on these areas and providemitigation measures for the communities.

During the site visit, the local governmentof Infanta met with the group and thePlanning Officer provided them with apresentation showing the impacts of theNovember 2004 tragedy and therehabilitation efforts that have been donesince then. The mayor, Hon. Pilipina GraceAmerika, was also present and sheexpressed her willingness to support theproject.

Another prospective partner is the InfantaIntegrated Community DevelopmentAssistance Inc. (ICDAI), a non-governmental organisation headed byFather Francis Lucas. ICDAI assisted thegroup in the visits to specific barangays(smallest government unit in thePhilippines). The team was able to visit fivebarangays, three low-lying areas which werebadly hit by the landslide in 2004 and twohighly-elevated areas. The tour to the sitesgave the participants an overview ofInfanta’s landscape.


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ARCP Funded Projects

Investigation on the Impacts of Urban-Rural Air Pollution on Air Quality and Climatein Southeast Asia (ARCP2007-07CMY-Oanh)

The last day of the training was devoted tothe planning of activities and setting of a workschedule and timeline. The deadline for initialdeliverables was also identified. The teamassigned point persons for the different tasksindicated in the schedule. One of the assistingstudents volunteered to develop a website forthe project to ensure proper coordination,

This research aims to characterise ambientair pollution associated with climate changeand health hazards. Upon its kick-off inJanuary 2007, a master student at the AsianInstitute of Technology (AIT), Ms. Do ThiThanh Canh, was sent to the ResearchCenter for Advanced Science andTechnology (RCAST) at the University ofTokyo (UT) for one-month training onElemental Carbon/Organic Carbon (EC/OC)measurement. At the same time, Dr. NguyenThi Kim Oanh, the project leader from AIT,also visited RCAST to discuss theimplementation plan for the proposed projectactivities.

A launching workshop “Interaction betweenAir Pollution and Climate: Aerosol andClimate” was held at AIT in Pathumthani,Thailand on April 2, 2007. This workshopaimed to set a framework for collaborationamong the three research partners (AIT, TheUniversity of Tokyo, and Hanoi Universityof Science) and to discuss in detail theactivities and work plan of the project. It alsoserved as a forum to disseminate theinnovative project ideas to potentialcollaborating data users in the regionincluding participants from universities inThailand. Thirty (30) participants attendedthe workshop from RCAST, Viet Nam (HanoiUniversity of Science), AIT as well as fromthe United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP) and other universities in Thailand(Chulalongkorn and The Joint GraduateSchool of Energy and Environment).

RCAST generously provided the EC/OCanalyser for the entire duration of the projectas an in-kind contribution, and theequipment was shipped and installed at AIT.

The measurementsstarted in March2007, through thehelp of the trainedmaster student, andhave been ongoingsince then. Dataobtained from themeasurements willbe used tocharacterise thetemporal variations of EC and OC, carbonmonoxide (CO), and meteorologicalparameters. Semi-continuous measurementsof EC/OC have been made every hour usinga thermal-optical-transmittance technique.Hourly EC/OC data for the period from Marchto July 2007 is presented in Figure 1 whichshows some peaks during the dry season thatmay be linked to biomass burning.

Online measurements of black carbon (BC)have been started at the same site sinceAugust 2007, using Continuous SootMonitoring System (COSMOS). COSMOS isa newly developed system by the RCAST-UT group, and has been already characterisedby field and laboratory experiments in Tokyo.It measures light absorption of BC to derivethe mass concentrations of BC every minute.The measured BC will also be compared with

networking and dissemination of literatureand other materials.

A farewell dinner was held at the Seminarroom of SESAM to wrap-up the wholeactivity. Certificates were distributed to thegroup and tokens of appreciation were givento the foreign participants.

...from page 7 - Assessing Vulnerability of ...

the mass concentrations of EC to determinethe specific mass absorption coefficient ofBC over the region, which is a key parameterin estimating radiative forcing. All of thesedata will be collected for at least a year. It isexpected that the long-term data obtainedby highly accurate measurements willprovide a solid scientific base forcharacterising air quality and climate changein Southeast Asia.

Meanwhile, measurements in Hanoi weredone for particle concentration andcomposition from December 2006 to January2007. These were performed in mixed sitesat a busy traffic area of the city. Currently,one researcher from Viet Nam is beingtrained at AIT on data analysis as well asthe EC/OC equipment.

Staff at AIT with the EC/OC analyser

Figure 1: Hourly EC/OC levels at AIT

Participants at the project’s launching workshop held at the AIT, Thailand

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Comprehensive Research ProjectsEnhancement of National Capacities in the Application of Simulation Models for the Assessmentof Climate Change and Its Impacts on Water Resources and Food and Agricultural Production(2005-CRP1CMY-Khan)

Two seminars, the first held in Kathmandu,Nepal on 15 August 2007and the second inIslamabad, Pakistan on 28 August 2007,culminated the three-year implementationof this CAPaBLE Comprehensive ResearchProject. This project was one of the twocomprehensive research projects awardedby APN in Phase 1 of its CAPaBLEprogramme, which was launched in April2003.

The main objectives of the project were: (i)to enhance climate change (CC)-relatedresearch capacity of the beneficiarycountries (Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan)in the areas of Regional Climate Modelling(RCM), Watershed Simulation Modelling(WSM) and Crop Simulation Modelling(CSM); (ii) to make use of the enhancedcapacity to formulate country-specificplausible CC scenarios, assess thecorresponding impacts on water resourcesand yields of major crops, and identifyappropriate adaptation measures to copewith the adverse impacts; (iii) to disseminatethe research results to national planners andpolicy-makers; and (iv) to provide usefulinputs to the Intergovernmental Panel onClimate Change (IPCC) assessmentreports.

Both seminars were graced by the heads ofthe respective National PlanningCommissions of the two countries: Dr.Jagadish Chandra Pokharel, ViceChairman, National Planning Commission,Nepal at the Kathmandu Seminar and Engr.Dr. M. Akram Sheikh, Deputy Chairman,Planning Commission, Pakistan at the

Seminar in Islamabad.The seminars inKathmandu andIslamabad wererespectively chaired byDr. Kedar Lal Shrestha,President, Institute forDevelopment &Innovation, Kathmandu,and Dr. Ishfaq Ahmad,Special Advisor to thePrime Minister andPresident, PakistanAcademy of Sciences.These seminars werewell-attended with 112 participants inKathmandu and 226 participants inIslamabad. They were composed of relevantexperts drawn from the PlanningCommission, Ministry of Environment, otherrelevant ministries and governmentdepartments, international organisations,non-governmental organisations (NGOs),academic institutions, among others.

The achievements of the project werepresented at the seminars, including theadvancement in CC research capacity of thebeneficiary countries through the conduct ofsix regional workshops involving more than160 participants and the acquisition,implementation, calibration and validation ofa number of simulation models coveringRCM, WSM and CSM aspects. These modelsnow form the backbone of the CC researchactivities in these countries. The project alsoproduced several publications (3 papers ininternational journals; 2 in national journals;4 submitted to international journals) and

Dr. Poharel addresses the audience at the Briefing Seminarin Kathmandu; Seated (left to right: Mr. Rajbhandari andDrs. K. Shrestha and M. Shrestha)

Left to right:Dr. Khan, Dr. Ahmad, Engr. Sheik, Dr. Chaudhry

presented papers inn u m e r o u sconferences (40presentations ati n t e r n a t i o n a lconferences, 11 atn a t i o n a lc o n f e r e n c e s ) .Furthermore, 21technical reportswere prepared whichwere reviewed byrelevant nationalexperts.

Salient features of the research findingswere also highlighted. These covered: (i) CCtrends in various parts of Nepal and Pakistanover the last three to five decades derivedfrom the available meteorological data; (ii)projections up to the year 2100 for changesin average climatological parameters forBangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan, and forthe large sub-regions of Pakistan, based onthe coarse resolution (about 300 km X 300km) outputs of an ensemble of 17 GlobalCirculation Models (GCMs) correspondingto A2 and A1B scenarios of IPCC; (iii) resultsof the dynamic downscaling of HadAM3PGCM output for A2 scenario by PRECIS(Hadley Centre’s RCM), providing highresolution (50 km X 50 km) CC scenariosfor South Asia; (iv) assessed impacts ofprojected CC on the yields of wheat, riceand maize crops in different agro-climaticzones of Nepal and Pakistan; (v) preliminaryresults of the work being done in Nepal andPakistan on assessing the impacts of CCon annual and seasonal flows of their mainrivers; and (vi) preliminary findings from theongoing work on adaptation measures andcoping mechanisms to counter negativeimpacts of CC in the agriculture and watersectors.

Significant interest and appreciation wereshown by the participants for the abovebriefings. In particular, both the heads ofNational Planning Commissions in Nepaland Pakistan were highly supportive of thistype of indigenous research in view of CCbeing a serious threat to water and foodsecurity of the countries in the region.


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Comprehensive Research ProjectsIntegrated Assessment Model for Developing Countries and Analysis of MitigationOptions and Sustainable Development Opportunities (2005-CRP2CMY-Shukla)

This CAPaBLE Phase 1 ComprehensiveResearch Project (CRP), completed inSeptember 2007, was jointly implementedby three institutions of excellence: IndianInstitute of Management, Ahmedabad, India,which coordinated the project; EnergyResearch Institute (ERI), China; and AsianInstitute of Technology (AIT), Thailand. Theproject is guided by two broad objectives.First was to develop tools for policy analysisfor integrating climate change andsustainable development concerns ofdeveloping country policy-makers. Secondly,it sought to enhance the capacity ofdeveloping countries on integratedassessment of climate change mitigationoptions in the context of sustainable nationaldevelopment priorities and policies.

The project activities were organised aroundthree themes: i) conceptual framework forbuilding long-term greenhouse gasemissions mitigation scenarios fordeveloping countries using the caseexamples of three countries – China, Indiaand Thailand; ii) adapting existing modellingtools for long-term projections of greenhousegas emissions and mitigation policies fordifferent scenarios in these countries, iii)delineating the framework to incorporatedeveloping country dynamics to enhance themodelling tools for integrated assessmentof mitigation options and sustainabledevelopment opportunities in developingcountries.

Eliciting and organising regular feedbackfrom the stakeholders have been animportant aspect of the projectmanagement. A project website(www.e2models.com) was developed forcommunications among the partners andalso for external interface. Besides periodic

posting ofp r o j e c tma te r ia l son thew e b s i t e ,the projectp a r t n e r sorganisedt h r e eworkshopsto receive

direct feedback from key stakeholders. Thefirst workshop was held at AIT, Thailand inAugust 2004 to discuss the general projectstrategy and approach. At the secondworkshop, held in Beijing, China, inSeptember 2005, interim results werepresented by the three partner institutions andfeedback on the analytical methodology wasreceived from modelling experts, researchersand policy-makers.

The third project workshop was organisedearlier this year, in March 2007, inAhmedabad, India. Besides the projectpartners, participants from several countriesattended the workshop, including China,India, Thailand, Japan, U.S.A, theNetherlands, Canada and Denmark. Theparticipants represented various stakeholderssuch as government, United NationsEnvironment Programme (UNEP), non-


governmental organisations (NGOs),industry associations, academicians,researchers and consultants working in thefield of climate change policy modelling,scenario building and policy applications.

The CAPaBLE project partners presentedtheir outputs and received feedback on theanalytical, technical and data related issuesfrom the leading researchers working inclimate change mitigation and sustainabledevelopment fields. The workshop alsoprovided a forum for direct exchange ofinformation and views among the modellingexperts and user communities interested inpolicies in the varied disciplines related toclimate change. The dialogue withstakeholders, model users, model buildersand other climate change researchershelped to validate the approach followed bythe CAPaBLE project teams. The workshopalso helped to communicate the projectresults to diverse stakeholder groups.

A notable achievement of the threeworkshops was the capacity building ofnearly 20 young researchers working in theknowledge disciplines related to integratedpolicy analysis to address climate changemitigation and sustainable development. Thewide participation in the workshops alsohelped strengthen the Asia-Pacific

Low carbon soceity scenario for India:Sustainable portfolio of measures

205020502000

1032

1284

40572050 Base Scenario

2050 LCS Emission: 1217(70% Mitigation target in 2050)

Electriciy (Fuel Switch + Efficiency) 745

Buildings (Materials/Design) 384

Renewable Energy 328Device Efficiency 274Material substitutions 207Recycling 173Reduced Consumption 90Urban Planning 265Transport (Modal shift) 272Transport Innovations 102

Mitigation in LCS(in 2050)

Milli

on T

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f CO

2

11PAGE


Comprehensive Research Projects

Water scarcity and land degradation have put local sustainableagriculture in great danger in north China, Mongolia and Russia FarEast region, due to climate change and intensified human activity.One of the gaps identified in the Intergovernmental Panel on ClimateChange (IPCC) assessment reports is the need for integrated modelsand tools to assess the potential of mitigation and adaptation optionsfor water and food security, including the associated cost-benefitanalysis. Thus, this CAPaBLE comprehensive research project,currently in its second year, aims to develop an integrated modelsystem to assess the potential mitigation options and sustainabledevelopment opportunities in relation to water and food security atthe local scale and to provide policy-makers with the neededinformation for sustainable development.

Model frameworkThe integrated water and food security assessment model frameworkshown in Figure 1 illustrates that global and regional physical climatechanges are directly impacting food production and water supply,which are also affected by policies and adaptation and mitigationoptions. On the other hand, socio-economic factors, includingpopulation, household income and investment changes, determinethe food and water demand and availability. The price of water andfood is the balancing factor, and determines the food and wateraccess level. Another important factor influencing water and foodsecurity is people’s utilisation which is simulated with the water andfood consumption module.

Integrated Model Development for Water and Food Security Assessments and Analysis ofthe Potential of Mitigation Options and Sustainable Development Opportunities inTemperate Northeast Asia (CRP2007-02CMY-Yan)

abnormal climatic conditions grew from less than 30% of the totalarea on average before 1980 to about 45% over the past 25 years,leading to an increased risk in grain production. Drought is also amajor natural disaster, particularly in recent years, which parallelsthe aridification trend in the region.

The grain yield in China was at relatively low levels during the 1950sand 1960s. However, due to the increased investment in infrastructureand technology improvement, the trend of average grain yieldincreased rapidly in the 1970s and reached a stable high of ca 5,800kg per hectare in the 1990s (Figure 3). This intervention, however,blurs the variations caused by natural climate related factors. Hence,to correct this, the relative meteorological yield concept was adoptedfor this study, which is defined as the increase/reduction ratio ofmeteorological yield to trend yield. The meteorological yield couldbe considered as the agent of the yield mainly formed by climate-related factors, and the trend yield represents the production capabilityin a certain period.

Using risk analysis tools, the yield reduction in two periods, 1949-1979 and 1980-2005, were compared, and results showed that theprobability of yield reduction became much smaller in the latter periodthan in the former. The risk of 20% and 30% yield loss decreasessignificantly even with increasing trend in natural disasters in thelast decades. This means the grain annual yield does not vary with

Figure 1. Main concept frame of the integrated water andfood security assessment model system for nort temper-ate East Asia (WAFSIAM)

Climate risk of grain production: Case study of Jilin ProvinceJilin is an important food production province of China and host ofthe ecological construction policy implemented by the centralgovernment. The period from 1949 to 2005 has seen a five-foldincrease in total grain production in Jilin, from about 5 M tons to 25M tons. However, at present, climate related disasters havesignificantly affected grain production. The annual natural disastersaffected ratio, defined as affected area by disasters divided by totalsown area, measures the damage of agro-meteorological disasters,including flood, drought, heavy wind and hailstorm, and lowtemperature. Figure 2 shows that the affected sown area due to

Figure 2. Climate affected area ratio series during 1979-2005in Jilin province (the records in 1966-1968 are absent).Affected Ratio=affected area by disasters/total sown area

Figure 3. Annual average yield of grains in Jilin, China,1949-2005. The blue line indicates the annual grainproduction, and the red line its time trend.



12PAGE

Comprehensive Research Projects

rise in climate-relateddisasters risk, whichindicates that the stability ofthe grain yield in Jilin hasimproved gradually duringthe past 50 years. This isattributed to thestrengthened anti-disasterpotential gained by increasedinputs and investments in theagriculture system.

Preliminary analysis wascarried out to assess futureclimate change impact, andthe Hadley GCM wasselected for developing theclimate scenario. Asprojected by Hadley GCM,the temperature will increase

...from page 11 - Integrated Model ...

...from page 10 - Integrated Assessment ...

Table 1. Historical and the future scenarios of PDSI cumulated probability distribution (%) of Changchun station

researchers’ network, as well as build network with global modellersand experts working on economic and environmental modelling.

During the implementation of this project, the research team hasalso contributed to the numerous global research and policy initiativessuch as UNEP’s Global Environmental Outlook (GEO4) project,Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) FourthAssessment Report (AR4), International Energy Agency (IEA)’sWorld Energy Outlook (WEO) and the upcoming IPCC NewScenarios initiative. The CAPaBLE project researchers played aleading role in the formation of the Asian Energy and EnvironmentModeling Forum (AEEMF), a unique modelling network initiative inAsia which was launched in 2004. In the past three years, AEEMFhas held three successful workshops where the CAPaBLE project

results were presented to several hundred modelling researchersfrom the Asia-Pacific countries.

Aside from the project’s scientific findings, the project also yieldedother significant and long-term benefits, such as:

i) development of an integrated modelling framework for climateand sustainable development analysis to suit developingcountry dynamics;

ii) capacity building of young researchers;iii) a network of modelling researchers in Asia-Pacific region;iv) contributions to global research initiatives; andv) continuation of the project website beyond the project period.

P D S I C lass ifica tion 1951-1980 1981-2006 2050 scenario 2100 scenario

<=-1 m ild d rought 25.30 48 .00 39 .40 38 .21 <=-2 .0 m odera te d rought 14.50 29 .90 22 .20 21 .88 <=-3 .0 severe drought 7 .02 14 .70 10 .40 10 .64 <=-4 .0 extrem e drought 2 .98 7 .19 4 .88 4 .87

by 1-2oC in 2050 and 2-3oC in 2100; meanwhile, precipitation will increase by 4-10% and 10-16%, respectively. Palmer Drought SeverityIndex (PDSI) was used to analyse the historical and future drought status in Changchun City, Jilin. Figure 4 and Table 1 show that droughtcondition of Changchun became very severe after the 1980s, with 48% of monthly PDSI lower than minus 1 (mild drought) and 29.9%lower than minus 2 (moderate drought). In the generated Hadley GCM 2050 scenario, drought trend will continue with 39.4% of monthshaving mild drought and also indicating a continued trend until the end of this century.

Results of the analyses revealed that appropriate human adaptation to turbulences in the natural environment could help enhance foodproduction and reduce risk of adverse climate. Aridification is still seen as the largest risk for food production in the future. Thus, adaptationcapacity to climate change, especially to extreme drought events, should be addressed to ensure sustainable food production.

Figure 4. The probability density distribution of monthly PDSI calculated on historical climateand future climate change scenarios of Changchun station (43.54N 125.13E)

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Capacity Building Projects

Development of a ‘Mobile Environmental Education Programme’ to RaiseAwareness about Climate Change in Cambodia (2005-CB07NSY-Ieng)

Cambodia’s topography is dominated by the Tonle SapLake, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. It isknown for its huge changes in size between dry and wetseasons (when the surface area quadruples from 2,500km2 to 11,000 km2) caused by the reversal flow of theTonle Sap River during the monsoon. The Lake directlyand indirectly meets the livelihood needs of at least 15%of Cambodia’s total population and the nutrition-relatedneeds of about 80%.

In recent years, the Tonle Sap Lake has come undersevere environmental pressure. Its flooded forests arebeing cleared and converted to seasonal agriculture. In1997, only about 20,000 hectares of its forests remainedfrom 614,000 hectares in the 1960s. Run-off fromincreased use of fertilizers and pesticides and increasedwaste from tourism (associated with Angkor Wat) isseverely affecting its water quality.

The Ministry of Environment (MOE) is keen to increaseenvironmental awareness among the young and opinion-formers, to build understanding of how human activitiesadversely impact the environment and how these can bemitigated. Working with a local non-governmentalorganisation (NGO), the Association for the Protectionand Development of the Cambodian Environment(APDCE), MOE developed the concept of a pilot MobileEnvironmental Education Programme (MEEP) basedaround the Lake.

ObjectivesMEEP envisages that participants will visit lakesidecommunities to witness the impacts of environmentaldegradation and climate change and to determine howthese could be addressed by reducing the impacts onthe community such as through appropriate ‘coping’responses. In hosting these visits, the communities willbenefit from the income-generating activities associatedwith MEEP and the opportunity of learning how to reducethe impacts of environmental changes.

Under its CAPaBLE Programme, the APN providedUS$40,000 to support a feasibility study of the MEEP.MEEP’s objectives closely match the objectives 1 and 3of the CAPaBLE Programme, i.e., Objective 1:Improvement of informed decision-making bydissemination of research activity outcomes to policy-makers and civil society; and Objective 3: Capacitybuilding of aspiring scientists.

Policy development and capacity buildingThe feasibility study has three main elements:

• Detailed preparation of the MEEP concept,including its programme, and identification ofparticipating communities.

• Design of institutional arrangements for MEEP (i.e.,a public-private partnership overseen by the MOEand participating provincial governments). Capitalfunding would come from the public sector/donor

agencies, while a private operator would becontracted to run the MEEP and recover their costsfrom participant charges.

• A financial appraisal of the MEEP concept and theuser charges required to make it viable.

Central to the study was the process of consultation withkey stakeholders composed of the local communities andprovincial governments. A three-stage process wasdeveloped in this regard:

• Stage 1 – Assessment of interest: The project teamvisited 15 lakeside communities to inform them ofthe MEEP and to identify their interest as well assuitability for inclusion in the program. Leadingcommunity figures and other local people participatedin public discussions on the MEEP, led by the projectteam.

• Stage 2 – Initial design: Using the first stage results,an initial design for the MEEP was prepared. Twelve(12) communities were selected and revisited todiscuss the design and solicit their comments. Thiswas followed by a stakeholder workshop.

• Stage 3 – Final design: A third field visit was madeto deliver workshop invitations and to survey accessto the communities during the dry season. Workshopinputs and comments received were used to finalisethe MEEP design followed by a second stakeholderworkshop to obtain overall agreement.

By consultation, the capacity of the participants was builtand the environmental concerns that gave rise to the initialMEEP concept were introduced to them. It showed howparticipants can reduce and manage environmentalimpacts, through their involvement in MEEP and throughtheir own actions.

OutcomesThe feasibility study was completed and a detailed MEEPdesign was prepared drawing heavily from the inputs ofthe lakeside community participants. They, in addition tothe relevant government ministries and provincialdepartments, have shown their commitment to the MEEPand willingness to support it. The work on MEEP is,however, not over yet, and future endeavour involves thesubmission of detailed funding proposals to donors and

First stakeholder workshop

further elaborationof the legalframework for theproposed public-private partnership(PPP). Onceestablished, theMEEP is expectedto provide lessonsfor possible futuree n v i r o n m e n t a l



14PAGE

Cap

acity

Bui

ldin

g Pr

ojec

tsIntegrated Participatory Analysis of Sustainability in the Greater MekongSub-Region (CBA2006-03NSY-Sevilla)

A research training programme on “Assessing SustainableDevelopment in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS)”was organised by the Mekong Institute (MI) and Liphe4Scientific Association on 21 May - 1 June 2007 as a partof the above APN CAPaBLE project. A total of 19 youngresearchers from seven countries in GMS participated,which were selected, with the help of the Mekong InstituteResearch Advisory Committee, based on their experiencesand a one-page essay submitted on sustainabledevelopment. Eleven (11) resource persons and facilitatorsdelivered the sessions during the course.

The main objectives of the training programme were toprovide capacity building and raise awareness amongyoung researchers from underprivileged countries in GMSon sustainability issues and to enable participants toindependently conduct research and provide publicinformation on crucial global change and sustainabilityissues. More so, it aimed to provide an opportunity fornetworking among young professionals and trainers andinitiate a participatory process that engages the relevantnational policy sectors in an intensive dialogue on globalchange issues.

The participants were divided into four small groups basedon their interests on specific sustainable developmentissues. With the help of resource persons, participantsidentified the following issues for future research to beincluded in the Mekong Institute plan:

· Integrated Assessment of Community BasedTourism (Quality Tourism);

· Rural Development and the Issue of Water(distribution and optimum use);

· Rural Development within a Changing Economy;· Studying the Options of Organic Agriculture

Development in the GMS Countries.

For practical applications, specific problems such as foodsecurity; water availability and quality; soil degradation;deforestation; rural development and education; spatialimbalances along economic corridors and environmentwere discussed in different sessions. To further narrowthese applications, two sessions in the training werefocussed specifically on policy discussion on GMS topics:Sub-regional Sustainable Development Strategy (SSDS)

in the GMS; and National Sustainable DevelopmentStrategy (NSDS): A Case Study from Thailand. Moreover,the inclusion of sustainable development context inevaluating climate mitigation options in developingcountries which had been recommended by the WorldSummit for Sustainable Development (WSSD 2002) wasdiscussed.

The training contributed to improve knowledge aboutprotecting the environment and imparted newmethodologies to analyse biophysical patterns of thenatural environment using new indicators and criteria. Theresearch training, policy discussions and proposal writingfor research operationalisation for sustainabledevelopment in the GMS addressed two MillenniumDevelopment Goals (MDGs) set forth by the UnitedNations and adopted by participant countries in 2000.These are “eradication of extreme poverty and hunger”and “environmental sustainability”.

All participants were highly motivated throughout thetraining program and contributed enthusiastically to thediscussions. At the end of the training, all four groupspresented their detailed research proposals putting intoapplication what they have learned. A panel of resourcepeople provided feedback to and critiqued the proposalsfor further improvement.

A CD ROM containing the training materials was producedand distributed to all participants and resource personson the final day of the training. The training materials arealso available for download at the Research Section ofthe MI webpage (www.mekonginstitute.org). Allparticipants have also become members of the MekongInstitute Alumni Network (MIAN), enabling them to receivefuture grant announcements from different donors andother opportunities in MI and other institutions in the GMS.

The MI and Liphe4 Scientific Association wish to expresstheir thanks to the Asia-Pacific Network for Global ChangeResearch (APN) CAPaBLE Programme for providing fundsfor this project. Likewise, MI acknowledges the partnerorganisations (Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand;National University of Laos, Thailand EnvironmentInstitute, National University of Laos, Keio University andWakayama University, Japan) for providing resourcepersons and other necessary support for the trainingprogram.

Dr. Katima Suchat delivers welcome speech

Research Manager, Bhoj Raj Khanal presentscourse outline to the training participants

15PAGE



Greenhouse Gas (GHG) and Aerosol Emissions under Different Vegetation Land Usein the Mekong River Basin Sub-Region (CBA2006-06NSY-Towprayoon)

This APN-CAPaBLE capacity building project wasundertaken for one year by the Joint Graduate School ofEnergy and Environment (JGSEE), with support fromorganisations/institutions from four different countries,namely, the National Institute for Environmental Studies(NIES) and the Global Environmental Forum (GEF), Japan;the Center for Environmental Science of the MonashUniversity, Australia; the Department of Civil Engineeringof the Lamar University, USA; and the Ministry ofEnvironment, Cambodia. Its main objectives are to providecapacity building to scientists of the Mekong River BasinSub-region (MRBSR) on emission inventory of GHGs andaerosols from biogenic and biomass burning activitiesassociated to different vegetation land use; and to providescientifically sound decision support information to policy-makers for formulation and implementation of controlstrategies for contributions towards the improvement ofthe regional air quality and global warming mitigation forsustainable development.

The project focused on measurement and evaluationof GHGs and aerosol emissions from forests andpaddy f ields in MRBSR, and on the transfer ofmethodologies and field measurement proceduresdeveloped in Thailand to scientists in Cambodia, VietNam, Lao PDR and Myanmar. Geograph icInformation Systems (GIS) maps of vegetation landuse and corresponding GHG and aerosol emissionsfrom forest and paddy fields (from both biogenic andbiomass burning processes) were established foreach of the four countries in MRBSR.

Also, staff of the Climate Change Office, Ministry ofEnvironment, Cambodia were trained while sampleswere collected in relation to the measurements ofGHG and aerosol emissions from paddy fields andforest vegetation in Cambodia. Finally, a network ofover 30 sc ient is ts and pol icy-makers f rom theMRBSR was formed, and all the knowledge andinformation gathered over the course of this projectwere transferred to them via a training workshoporganised by JGSEE in Bangkok, Thailand, on 1-3May 2007.

Signi f icant f indings of the project showed thatbiogenic and biomass burning activities constitutea major source of GHG and aerosol emissions inthe reg ion . However, be t te r know ledge and

educational programmes in Cambodia and in other partsof the region.

The project proponents express their profoundest gratitudeto His Excellency, Dr. Mok Mareth, Senior Minister, Ministerfor the Environment, who has supported the projectthroughout. They also gratefully acknowledge the generousparticipation of those community representatives and thekind assistance of the following:

- Mr. Ung Seng, Chief of Cabinet, Ministry of Environment- Mr. Sem Sundara, Director for Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Environment and National Focal Point for APN- Mr. Nop Nimol, Deputy Director of Education Department, Ministry of Environment- Mr. Chev Phal, Director, Siem Reap Provincial Environment Department- Ms. Dork Sothea, Director, Kampong Chhnang Provincial Environment Department

unders tand ing o fthese p rocesses i sneeded in o rde r t oimprove the regionaland national emissioninven to ry, and toupdate the na t iona lcommun ica t i ons onGHG inventory, whichi s pa r t o f t hecommitments o f thefou r coun t r i esment ioned above tothe Un i ted Na t ions

...from page 13 - Development of a ...

Biogenic emissions measurements frompaddy fileds (training in Cambodia at CARDI,on 19-22 March 2007

Framework Conven t ion on C l ima te Change(UNFCCC) in relation to the Kyoto Protocol.

The methodologies and experimental proceduresdeveloped in Thailand and reproduced in Cambodiahave been found to be suff ic ient ly simple andeffect ive to be wel l -assimi lated and eff ic ient lyimplemented by scientists in each country of theMRBSR. Also, the regional network of scientists andpolicy-makers established though this project for theinventory of GHG and aerosol emiss ions hasenabled them to address the regional needs for theimprovement of the emission inventory for biogenicand biomass burning activities.

In order to ensure the sustainability and replicabilityof the work undertaken under this APN CAPaBLEproject, follow-up with the established network isneeded with continuous updates and informationexchange among its members. It is also advisableto broaden this network to include other ASEANcountries and widen the scope of its activities toinclude other types of air pollution sources, notablythose related to energy and agricultural activities.It is felt that the research and development (R&D)field experiments based on the methodologies andprocedures set-up in this project would need to beundertaken in all countries of the MRBSR, usingthe same capacity building approach implementedin this project, in order to establish the regionalmodel of GHG and aerosol emissions from biogenicsources and biomass burning activities.


16PAGE

Cap

acity

Bui

ldin

g Pr

ojec

tsScoping Workshop in South Asia MAIRS Rapid Assessment Project’s (SARAP)Results for Designing Future Research Agenda and Capacity BuildingRequirements (CBA2006-09NSY-Raha)

The APN sponsored ‘Scoping Workshop on South AsiaMonsoon Asia Integrated Regional Study (MAIRS) RapidAssessment Project’s (SARAP) Results for DesigningFuture Research Agenda and Capacity BuildingRequirements’ was held on 8-11 October 2006 at theDarjeeling Campus of Bose Institute, India. The workshopwas attended by the authors of the chapters of the SARAP book volume, Indian global change researchers,members of the South Asian START Committee(SASCOM), and representatives of internationalprogramme offices of the Global Carbon Project (GCP)and MAIRS.

For the first time, the SA RAP programme synthesisedthe global change studies carried out in and for the SouthAsian region holistically which led to the identification ofgap areas in the current knowledge and prioritisation ofareas that needed capacity building. The SA RAPsynthesis efforts included all the studies related tophysical and human dimensions of the Earth SystemScience (viz. climate, ecosystem, atmosphere, resourcesand sustainable development).

This workshop was planned following therecommendations of the meetings of the START-MAIRSand SASCOM in Colombo, Sri Lanka, during July 2005,where the initial drafts of the contributed manuscripts tothe SA RAP book volume were subjected to thoroughreview. It was realised that the key issues emerging outof the synthesis needed in-depth discussions, which couldlead to the identification of future global change researchagendas and the areas where capacity buildingrequirements ought to be focused for the South Asianregion.

During the Darjeeling workshop, detailed discussions tookplace on the regional synthesis of South Asian globalchange research and views were exchanged betweenthe lead authors of the different chapters and otherworkshop participants on the issues identified for capacitybuilding. These discussions were greatly facilitated bythe expositions from the international programme officersof GCP and MAIRS on their objectives and priorities.The participants were also apprised of various regionalglobal change related projects supported by APN (e.g.,South Asian water, mountains, coastal zones and health

projects) and other Indian research initiatives (e.g.,Monsoon Stability Studies, Environmental MonitoringResearch Centres, Indo-Gangetic Plains Researchinitiatives, Mountain research etc.). These provided thefocused perspectives of international, regional and otherprogrammes for possible integration in the future.

The deliberation at the workshop covered the issues rangingfrom underlying drivers and responses to environmentalchange, climate change and variability, land transformationand its consequences, atmospheric composition changeand air quality, alterations to hydrology and regionalhydrological cycles, changes in coastal and marineenvironments, key vulnerabilities of human society in SouthAsia and adaptation/coping mechanisms. All these issueshave direct relevance to sustainable development agendabeing promoted by the APN’s CAPaBLE programme.

The final outcome of the workshop resulted in the adoptionof the following recommendations:1. Three major priority thematic research areas for South

Asia region are: a) Himalaya and Indo-Gangetic Plain(HIGP) region spanning from Indus to Brahamputrabasins and include arid, semi-arid and flood plainzones. This covers the three priority research themesof MAIRS (viz. urbanisation, semi-arid zones andmountains); b) Coastal Zones; and c) MonsoonStability

2. The capacity building requirements at both institutionaland individual levels are required through inter- andintra-regional collaborations. This would help in thedevelopment of parity status in the scientific capacityof the South Asian countries.

3. Appropriate mechanism for data archival anddissemination strategies need to be developed for theSouth Asian region through consultations with usersand software/hardware experts. The multi-mode dataarchival system with integration of other regionalnetworks and meta-data availability could be possiblemodes that should be explored through specialisedand focused discussions.

A proceedings containing the draft SA RAP book volumewas prepared and distributed among the participants whichserved as the base document for discussions during theworkshop. The SA RAP book volume is expected to bereleased in December 2007.

The workshop provided a platform for discussions anddevelopment of several research concepts into projectforms and integrating them into the internationalprogrammes for possible funding. The workshop waselaborately covered by the local newspapers and raisedawareness among stakeholders on global change issuesin the context of South Asian perspectives. It fulfilled themain aim of the CAPaBLE programme to develop andenhance scientific capacity in developing countries toimprove their decision-making in target areas.Participants of the Scoping Workshop

17PAGE



Capacity Building to Study Interrelations between Atmospheric Composition,Anthropogenic Load and Climate Change in Northern Asia (CBA2007-08NSY-Gordov)

To help young scientists from the targeted countries inthe APN region understand the interrelations of differentaspects of Northern Asia atmospheric composition studywith climate change and industrial load, an internationalworkshop on Atmospheric Composition and Air Qualitywas held in Tomsk, Russian Federation, on 20-22 July2007. The international workshop was conducted withinthe framework of a biannual educational event calledYoung Scientists School and Conference onComputational Information Technologies for EnvironmentalStudies (CITES 2007) (http://www.scert.ru/en/conferences/) held on 14-25 July 2007, and organised bythe Siberian Center for Environmental Research andTraining.

Sixty (60) young participants from New Independent States(NIS), Asian and European countries were selected on acompetitive basis to participate in the six-day school. Itsmain research themes were Transport and Transformationof Pollution in Geophysical Media, and Design andDevelopment of Web-based Information-ComputationalSystems for Environmental Science. Relevant trainingsessions devoted to practical aspects of pollution transportand transformations as well as development of thematicweb services were also organised.

After the School the attendees took part in the CITESconference whose audience was enlarged by a numberof prominent scientists and decision-makers from NIS,Asian and European leading environmentally orientedresearch organisations. The Conference was run as a setof workshops devoted to different aspects of its themeand started with the Practical Session on Tom River waterquality combined with a boat trip.

The APN Workshop on Atmospheric Composition and AirQuality was chaired by Profs. Hajime Akimoto of Japanand Evgeny Gordov of Russia. It had three sessions,namely: Atmospheric Composition and Air QualityMeasurements; Atmospheric Composition and Air QualityModelling; and Environmental Data Resources andInformation Systems. In the course of the APN Workshop,three one-hour invited lectures were presented:Tropospheric ozone and its impact on climate andenvironment (Akimoto H.), Laser gas analysis of theatmosphere: history of development and prospects (ZuevV.V.), and Thermally driven mesoscale circulation overurbanised areas (Kurbatsky A.F., Kurbatskaya L.I.).

Furthermore, 11 invited and 6 contributed papers on basicand applied thematic problems were reported, and 47posters were presented by young scientists.

CITES School young scientists during the lecture

CITES School young scientists performspractical tasks on air quality modelling

The APN support allowedthe participation of youngscientists and lecturersfrom the APN countries inNorth Asia. The CITESevent and APN Workshoppromoted the generationand transfer of new findingsand methodologies in areasof atmospheric composition,air quality and climate

APN-funded participant

change. It also helped in the career development ofpromising young scientists in the region and theirinvolvement with APN’s activities and the community ofglobal change scientists represented at the CITES event.The young scientists will become a part of an overallnetwork of scientists interested in different aspects ofglobal change in the Northern Asia region.

To support the continuity of the above activity, the nextstage of the project will be devoted to the developmentand operation of a bilingual (English and Russian) projectwebsite as an information system aimed to support youngscientists’ education and training in this domain; thuscontinuously involving the regional research communityas well as attracting the attention of local and regionalpopulation and decision-/policy-makers.

The site is planned to be a part of the thematicenvironmental web portal supporting the ENVIROMISNetwork (http://enviromis.scert.ru). Relevant educationalmaterials to be included in the website will be furtherelaborated in a project meeting to be held in January 2008.It is planned to include thematic educational resourcesbased on the materials of the above workshop andtutorials on basic topics and applications of AtmosphericChemistry and the Physics of Climate. With this, it isexpected that the website will be a powerful educationaltool in the areas of air quality, atmospheric compositionand climate change.


18PAGE

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

Michael STODDART (FP)Chief ScientistAustralian Antarctic DivisionTel: +61-3-6232-3205Email: [email protected]

David WALLAND (SPG)Senior ClimatologistBureau of MeteorologyTel: +61-3-9669-4069Email: [email protected]

Md. Nazrul Islam KHAN (FP)Deputy SecretaryMinistry of Environment and ForestsTel: +88-02-7163373Email: [email protected]

Giashuddin MIAH (SPG)ProfessorDepartment of Agroforestry and Environ-ment - Bangabandhu SeikhMijibur Rahman Agricultural UniversityTel: +880-1715-401443Email: [email protected]

Sem SUNDARA (FP)DirectorInternational Cooperation DepartmentMinistry of EnvironmentTel: +855-12-801-177Email: [email protected]

Hourt KHIEU (SPG)Senior OfficerMinistry of Agriculture, Fisheries andForestryTel: +855-23-220897 / 216167Email: [email protected]

Xuedu LU (FP)DirectorDepartment of Rural and SocialDevelopmentMinistry of Science and TechnologyTel: +86-10-5888-1436Email: [email protected]

Wenjie DONG (SPG)Director-GeneralNational Climate CenterChina Meteorological AdministrationTel: +86-10-6840-8784Email: [email protected]

Epeli NASOME (SPG)Director of EnvironmentDepartment of EnvironmentTel: +679-3311-699 / -3306-060Email: [email protected]

Subodh SHARMA (FP)DirectorMinistry of Environment and ForestsTel: +91-11-2436-0861Email: [email protected]

AUSTRALIA

BANGLADESH

CAMBODIA

CHINA

FIJI

INDIA

Madan Lall SHRESTHA (SPG)Director GeneralDepartment of Hydrology and MeteorologyTel: 977-1-4262411Email: [email protected]

Andrew MATTHEWS (FP) (SPG)DirectorAM-NZ ServicesTel: 64-4-4791741Email: [email protected]

Muhammad Tanvir BUTT (FP)Deputy SecretaryMinistry of EnvironmentTel: +92-51-920-5510Email: [email protected]

Amir MUHAMMED (SPG)RectorNational University of Computer andEmerging SciencesTel: +92-51-285-5032 / 5072 / 5074Email: [email protected] /[email protected]

Samuel PEÑAFIEL (FP)Regional Executive DirectorDepartment of Environment and NaturalResources (DENR-CAR)Tel: +639-74-444-4531Email: [email protected]

Marcial AMARO, Jr. (SPG)DirectorEcosystems Research & DevelopmentBureau (ERDB)Tel: +63-49-536-7746Email: [email protected] /[email protected]

Seung Hee KIM (FP)DirectorGlobal Environmental OfficeMinistry of EnvironmentTel: +82-2-2110-6555Email: [email protected]

Kwangwoo CHO (SPG)Senior ScientistKorea Environment InstituteTel: +82-2-380-7615Email: [email protected]

Alexander STERIN (SPG)Deputy DirectorRussian Research Institute forHydrometeorological Information -World Data Center (RIHMI-WDC)Tel: +7-495-255-2467Email: [email protected]

NEPAL

NEW ZEALAND

PAKISTAN

PHILIPPINES

REPUBLIC OF KOREA

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

M.A.R.D. JAYATILAKE (FP)Secretary, Ministry of EnvironmentTel: +94-11-2877290Email: [email protected]

G.H.P. DHARMARATNA (SPG)Director General of MeteorologyDepartment of MeteorologyTel: +94-11-2694104Email: [email protected] /[email protected]

Petipong Pungbun Na AYUDHYA (FP)Permanent SecretaryMinistry of Natural Resources andEnvironmentTel: +662-278-8583Email: [email protected]

Jariya BOONJAWAT (SPG)Advisor, Atmospheric GroupSoutheast Asia START Regional CentreChulalongkorn UniversityTel: +662-218-9466Email: [email protected]

Louis BROWN (FP)Chair, Working Group on InternationalResearch and CooperationU.S. Climate Change Science ProgramDirectorate for GeosciencesNational Science FoundationTel: +1-703-292-7856Email: [email protected]

Luis TUPAS (SPG)Program DirectorGlobal Change and ClimateU.S. Department of AgricultureTel: 202-401-4926Email: [email protected]

Xuan Bao Tam NGUYEN (FP)Deputy Director GeneralInternational Cooperation DepartmentMinistry of Natural Resources andEnvironmentTel: +84-4-7734263Email: [email protected]

Nga MAI NGOC (SPG)Deputy HeadEnvironmental and Social StudiesDepartmentCentre for Support of Social DevelopmentProgramsTel: +84-4-5121690Email: [email protected]

Roland FUCHSDirectorInternational START SecretariatTel: 1-202-462-2213Email: [email protected]

SRI LANKA

THAILAND

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

VIET NAM

GLOBAL CHANGE SYSTEM FORANALYSIS, RESEARCH ANDTRAINING (START)

Liana BRATASIDA (FP)Assistant Minister for Global EnvironmentalAffairs and International CooperationMinistry of EnvironmentTel: +62-21-8580112Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

Erna Sri ADININGSIH (SPG)DirectorAerospace Analysis and Information CenterNational Institute of Aeronautics and SpaceTel: +62-21-8710786Email: [email protected] /[email protected]

Naoya TSUKAMOTO (FP)Director, Office of Research and InformationGlobal Environment BureauMinistry of the EnvironmentTel: 81-3-5521-8245Email: [email protected]

Nobuo MIMURA (SPG)Professor, Ibaraki UniversityTel: 81-2-9438-5169Email: [email protected]

Phonechaleune NONTHAXAY (FP)Deputy Director GeneralEnvironment Research InstituteScience, Technology and EnvironmentAgencyTel: +856-21-218737Email: [email protected]

Chanthanet BOUALAPHA (SPG)Deputy Director GeneralWater Resources Coordination ComitteeSecretariatScience, Technology and EnvironmentAgencyTel: +856-21-218-737Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

Yap Kok SENG (FP)Director-GeneralMalaysian Meteorological ServiceTel: +60-3-7967-8001Email: [email protected]

Subramaniam MOTEN (SPG)Director, Research DivisionMalaysian Meteorological DepartmentTel: +60-3-9797-2360Email: [email protected]

Bayarbat DASHZEVEG (FP)Secretary for National Committee toControl DesertificationMinistry of Nature and EnvironmentTel: 976-11-264616Email: [email protected]

Tsogtbaatar JAMSRAN (SPG)Director, Institute of GeoecologyMongolian Academy of SciencesTel: +976-99-118203Email: [email protected]

INDONESIA

JAPAN

LAO PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATICREPUBLIC

MALAYSIA

MONGOLIA

Please feel free to contact the national Focal Point (nFP) and ScientificPlanning Group (SPG) Member of your country for inquiries. To view their

complete address, you may visit the Who’s Who Section of the APN websitehttp://www.apn-gcr.org/en/aboutapn/whoswho.html.

19PAGE


APN 2007/08

Projects

from the

Annual

Regional

Call for

Proposals

ARCP2007-12NMY-Adrianov: Marine Biodiversity ofCoastal Zones in the Northwest Pacific: Status, RegionalThreats, Expected Changes and ConservationProject Leader: Dr. Andrey V. Adrianov, Institute of MarineBiology, RUSSIAN FEDERATION;Email: [email protected]

ARCP2007-13NMY-Li: Quantification of Land UseUrbanisation Levels in Three Developing Asian CountriesBased on the Analysis of Scale Effects in LandscapePatternsProject Leader: Prof. Jianlong Li, Nanjing University,CHINA; Email: [email protected]; [email protected]

ARCP2007-14NMY-Dutta: Climate Perturbation andCoastal Zone Systems in Asia Pacific Region: HolisticApproaches and Tools for Vulnerability Assessment andSustainable Management StrategyProject Leader: Dr. Dushmanta Dutta, Monash University,AUSTRALIA; Email: [email protected]

ARCP2007-15NSY-Parish: Assessing the Mitigation andAdaptation Options for Tropical Peatlands to Reduce GHGEmissions and Increase Resilience to Climate ChangeProject Leader: Mr. Faizal Parish, Global EnvironmentCentre, MALAYSIA;Email: [email protected]

ARCP2007-16NMY-Chen: Asian Mega-deltas: MonsoonCirculation in Relation to Deltaic-Coastal Hazards andFuture Mitigation – Millennial to Seasonal DimensionsProject Leader: Prof. Zhongyuan Chen; East China NormalUniversity, CHINA; Email: [email protected]

ARCP2007-17NMY-Espaldon: Assessing Vulnerability ofCommunities and Understanding Policy Implications ofAdaptation Responses to Flood-related Landslides in AsiaProject Leader: Dr. Ma. Victoria O. Espaldon; School ofEnvironmental Science and Management, PHILIPPINES;Email: [email protected]

ARCP2007-18NSY-Nawa: Using CDM Opportunities toMitigate the Release of Greenhouse Gases by ImprovingWaste Management PracticesProject Leader: Dr. Nawa Raj Khatiwada; NepalDevelopment Research Institute, NEPAL;Email: [email protected]; [email protected]

ARCP2007-19NMY-Sheikh: Development and Applicationof Climate Extreme Indices and Indicators for MonitoringTrends in Climate Extremes and their Socio-economicImpacts in South Asian CountriesProject Leader: Mr. Muhammad Munir Sheikh, GlobalChange Impact Studies Centre, PAKISTAN;Email: [email protected], [email protected],[email protected]

ARCP2007-20NSG-Kwon: Development of Indices andIndicators for Monitoring Trends in Climate Extremes and itsApplication to Climate Change ProjectionProject Leader: Dr. Won-Tae Kwon, Korea MeteorologicalAdministration, Republic of KOREA;Email: [email protected]

ARCP2007-01CMY-Ziegler: Sediment Dynamics andDown-stream Linkages in Tropical Streams as Affected byProjected Land-Cover/Land-Use and Climatic ChangeProject Leader: Dr. Alan D. Ziegler, University of Hawaii,USA; Email: [email protected]

ARCP2007-02CMY-Koike: International Integrated WaterData Access and Transfer in Asia (IIWaDATA) ProjectProject Leader: Dr. Toshio Koike, University of Tokyo,JAPAN; Email: [email protected]

ARCP2007-03CMY-Nadaoka: Integrating Support Systemfor Managing Environmental Change and Human Impact onTropical Ecosystems in East Asia and the PacificProject Leader: Prof. Kazuo Nadaoka, Tokyo Institute ofTechnology, JAPAN; Email: [email protected]

ARCP2007-04CMY-David: Integrated VulnerabilityAssessment of Coastal Areas in the Southeast Asia andEast Asian RegionsProject Leader: Dr. Laura T. David, University of thePhilippines, PHILIPPINES; Email: [email protected]

ARCP2007-05CMY-Lasco: Linking Climate ChangeAdaptation to Sustainable Development in Southeast AsiaProject Leader: Dr. Rodel D. Lasco, World AgroforestryCentre, PHILIPPINES; Email: [email protected]

ARCP2007-06CMY-Huda: Climate Crop Disease RiskManagement: An International Initiative in the Asia-PacificRegionProject Leader: Prof. Samsul Huda, University of WesternSydney, AUSTRALIA; Email: [email protected]

ARCP2007-07CMY-Oanh: Investigation of the Impacts ofUrban-Rural Air Pollution on Air Quality and Climate inSoutheast AsiaProject Leader: Dr. Nguyen Thi Kim Oanh, Asian Institute ofTechnology, THAILAND; Email: [email protected]

ARCP2007-08CMY-DeCosta: Assessment andManagement of Change in Coastal Zone Caused by SalinityIntrusionProject Leader: Dr. Gregory De Costa, Open Polytechnic ofNew Zealand, NEW ZEALAND;Email: [email protected]

ARCP2007-09NSY-Skole: Carbon Financial Markets, RuralPoverty, and Global Climate Change in Southeast Asia -Scoping Workshop, Training and Project Site DevelopmentProject Leader: Dr. David L. Skole, Michigan StateUniversity, USA; Email: [email protected]

ARCP2007-10NMY-Baguinon: Collaborative Studies inTropical Asian Dendrochronology: Addressing Challenges inClimatology and Forest EcologyProject Leader: Dr. Nestor T. Baguinon, University of thePhilippines Los Baños, PHILIPPINES;Email: [email protected]

ARCP2007-11NMY-Park: Regional Collaborative Researchon Climate Change Impacts on Surface Water Quality inEastern Monsoon Asia: Towards Sound Management ofClimate RisksProject Leader: Dr. Ji-Hyung Park, Kangwon NationalUniversity, Republic of KOREA;Email: [email protected]

ARCP 2007/08 Projects

You may check theabstracts of eachproject at : http://www.apn-gcr.org/en/activity/list2007projects.htm


20PAGE

APN 2007/08

Projects

under the

CAPaBLE

Programme

CAPaBLE 2007/08 Projects

CRP2007-01CMY-Dixit: Improving Policy Responses toInteractions between Global Environmental Change andFood Security across the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP)Project Leader: Dr. Ajaya Dixit, Nepal WaterConservation Foundation, NEPAL;Email: [email protected]

CRP2007-02CMY-Yan: Integrated Model Developmentfor Water and Food Security Assessments and Analysisof the Potential of Mitigation Options and SustainableDevelopment Opportunities in Temperate Northeast AsiaProject Leader: Prof. Xiaodong Yan, START RegionalCentre for Temperate Asia, CHINA;Email: [email protected]

CRP2007-03CMY-Jintrawet: Climate Change inSoutheast Asia and Assessment on Impact, Vulnerabilityand Adaptation on Rice Production and Water BalanceProject Leader: Dr. Attachai Jintrawet, Multiple CroppingCentre, THAILAND;Email: [email protected]

CBA2007-01CMY-Bambaradeniya: Removing Barriersto Capacity Building in Least Developed Countries:Transferring Tools and Methodologies for ManagingVulnerability and Adaptation to Climate ChangeProject Leader: Dr. Channa Bambaradeniya, IUCN - TheWorld Conservation Union, SRI LANKA;Email: [email protected]

CBA2007-02CMY-Aalsbersberg: Climate Change andVariability Implications on Biodiversity — Youth ScenarioSimulations and AdaptationsProject Leader: Prof. Bill Aalbersberg, University ofSouth Pacific, FIJI;Email: [email protected]

CBA2007-03NSY-Nunn: Understanding EnvironmentalDecision-Making in the Rural Pacific Islands

CAPaBLE ComprehensiveResearch Projects

CAPaBLE CapacityBuilding Projects

Project Leader: Prof. Patrick D. Nunn, The University ofthe South Pacific, FIJI;Email: [email protected]

CBA2007-04NSY-Iino: Developing Chemical AnalysisCapability in India and Pakistan and Risk Perception ofPolicy-Makers and People in AsiaProject Leader: Dr. Fukuya Iino, United NationsUniversity, JAPAN;Email: [email protected]

CBA2007-05NSY-Kelkar: New Risks of Climate Change– Building Capacity to Protect the Most VulnerableProject Leader: Ms. Ulka Kelkar, The Energy andResources Institute, INDIA;Email: [email protected]

CBA2007-06NMY-Mathur: Communicating EconomicImplications of Climate Change Impacts and NetBenefits of Adaptation Measures to Policy Makers toEnable them to Take Informed DecisionsProject Leader: Mr. Udit Mathur; DevelopmentAlternatives, INDIA;Email: [email protected]

CBA2007-07NSY-Bin Wang: Workshop on “TheMonsoon System: Prediction of Change and Variability”Project Leader: Prof. Bin Wang,University of Hawaii, USA;Email: [email protected]

CBA2007-08NSY-Gordov: Capacity Building to StudyInterrelations between Atmospheric Composition,Anthropogenic Load and Climate Changein Northern AsiaProject Leader: Prof. Evgeny Gordov, Siberian Center forEnvironmental Research and Training/Institute ofMonitoring of Climatic and Ecological Systems SB RAS,RUSSIAN FEDERATION;Email: [email protected]

CBA2007-09NSY-Soejachmoen: Capacity Building inAsian Countries on Climate Change Issues Related toFuture RegimeProject Leader: Ms. Moekti Handajani Soejachmoen,Yayasan Pelangi Indonesia, INDONESIA;Email: [email protected]

You may check the abstracts of the above projects at :http://www.apn-gcr.org/en/activity/capable/capableprojects/list2007capableprojects.htm

The APN is seeking external mail reviewers to review global change research proposals

submitted under its Annual Regional Call for Proposals (ARCP) and capacity development

proposals submitted under its Scientific Capacity Building and Enhancement for Sustainable

Development in Developing Countries (CAPaBLE) Programme. For more details and to download

the Reviewer Background Information Form, please visit: http://www.apn-gcr.org/en/

callforproposals/mailreviewsystem.html.

21PAGE


We want to hear from you! Please help us improve the APN Newsletter by filling out this questionnaire andreturning it by fax to the APN Secretariat at: +81-78-230-8017. Alternatively, you can download this form athttp://www. apn-gcr.org/en/FeedbackForm.doc and send it as an attachment to [email protected]. Thankyou for your cooperation.

1. How do you rate the APN Newsletter overall?___ poor ___ fair ___ good ___ very good

2. How would you describe the APN Newsletter as a source for information? ___ not so informative ___ informative ___ very informative

3. Do you still want to continue receiving the electronic copy of the APN Newsletter?___ yes ___ no

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Name: ___________________________Position: __________________________Division: ___________________________Organization: _______________________Postal street address: _________________Postcode and city: ____________________Province/Region: ____________ Country: ___________Phone: ____________ Fax: ___________Email: ____________ Website: __________

5. We look forward to receiving any additional remarks or suggestions about what you would like tosee included in the APN Newsletter.___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

...from page 5 - ECO ASIA 2007 ...

was acknowledged that climate change, particularly its impactson water resources, agriculture and fishery, is a commonconcern among the countries in SEA. Therefore, it was agreedto focus on climate change for the initial work programme of theSEA-SRC.

Science-policy linkages was also a main topic in the meetingagenda. Challenges in the successful integration of science andpolicy were explored, and the need for demand-driven researchor scientific assessments was highlighted. Based on thepresentations and discussions at the meeting, mechanisms forimproving science-policy linkages were summarised andproposed. These include ensuring that all relevant stakeholdersare involved from project scoping up to the communication ofresults of scientific assessments; incorporating institutional aswell as local and indigenous knowledge whenever appropriatein the assessment process; and presenting scientific findingsin different points of view and in a manner that is easilyunderstandable among decision-makers.

One of the outputs of the meeting was a work plan that wouldguide the activities of the sub-regional committee until March2008 (short-term work plan). Medium- and long-termprogrammes were also drafted, which would be furtherelaborated at their next meeting, to be held back-to-back withthe 13th IGM in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in 2008.

It is hoped that, following the example of the SEA-SRC, similaractivities in other APN sub-regions will ensue to address theneed for more effective communication among the APNmembership and stronger links between science and policy.

...from page 4 - APN Holds 1st SEA ...

to achieve the goal of halving emissions by 2050. APN was also mentionedduring the discussion on adaptation. It is expected that APN’s ongoing effortscan be utilised more effectively and intensively to broaden regionalcollaboration for mutually-supporting adaptation initiatives.

Regional collaboration such as capacity building, joint research, regionalmonitoring, sharing and dissemination of scientific knowledge, and financialschemes were encouraged by the Congress. Mr. Hashizume stressed thatAPN has funded over 150 research projects and capacity developmentactivities on global change in the Asia-Pacific region, and the network is nowpaying closer attention in promoting linkages between scientists and decision/policy-makers. He noted that many APN projects involved regionalcollaboration and turned very effective in enhancing research in the region.

In addition to adaptation and pathways towards low-carbon society, Session2 also discussed opportunities for co-benefits, further utilisation of marketmechanisms to foster mitigation and adaptation, and the role of the Asia-Pacific region in developing a more desirable post-2012 framework.

The results of the interactive dialogues among the participants focusing onnecessary policies in the region over the next two to three years will beforwarded to the UNFCCC COP13/MOP3 in December in Bali and otherforums.

Recalling the last several ECO ASIA meetings, the Secretariat felt that APN isgaining more recognition among the participating ministers and senior officials.Because ECO ASIA is a venue for mutual collaboration for a better environmentrather than for diplomatic negotiations, APN is in a good position todemonstrate the significance of networking involving both decision-makersand scientists in the region. The APN Secretariat is in great hope that a membercountry would participate in the next ECO ASIA, on behalf of the APN. The16th ECO ASIA will be held in Nagoya, Japan in the summer of 2008.


22PAGE

Calendar of Worldwide Global Change EventsEvents in bold are APN or APN co-sponsored events

OCTOBER

4-5 OCT. APN Steering Committee Meeting.Kobe, Japan. Contact: [email protected]

8-9 OCT. The First International Workshop onClimate Change Impacts on Surface WaterQuality in East Asian Watersheds.Kangwon National University, Chuncheon,Republic of Korea.Contact: [email protected]

10-11 OCT. Asia-Pacific Regional Workshop onGEOSS Information Access. Beijing, ChinaContact: [email protected]

14-28 OCT. POPs Analysis Training for India andPakistan. APEC Marine Environmental Trainingand Education Center, KORDI, Republic of Korea.Contact: [email protected]

16-18 OCT. International Conference on the Futureof Forests in Asia and the Pacific: Outlook for 2020.Chiang Mai, Thailand.Contact: http://www.fao.org/forestry/site/39701/en/.

16-19 OCT. Carbon Financial Markets, RuralPoverty, and Global Climate Change inSoutheast Asia Training and ScopingWorkshop. Lao Plaza Hotel, Vientiane, Lao PDR.Contact: [email protected]

22 OCT-3 NOV. 2007 SOLAS International SummerSchool. Institut d'Etudes Scientifiques de Cargese inCorsica (France)Contact: http://www.uea.ac.uk/env/solas/summerschool/

26-29 OCT. 12th International Conference of thePacific Basin Consortium – Environment and Healthin the 21st Century: Challenges and SolutionsBeijing, ChinaContact: http://pbc.eastwestcenter.org/index.html

26 OCT-5NOV. PICES Sixteenth Annual Meeting.Victoria, Canada.Contact: [email protected] or http://www.pices.int/meetings/annual/PICES16/background.aspx

27-30 OCT. Eco Expo Asia – International TradeFair on Environmental Protection.Chek Lap Kok, Hongkong.Contact: http://ecoexpoasia.tdctrade.com/

28-31 OCT. Geological Society of America AnnualMeeting and Exposition Earth Sciences for Society:beginning of the International Year of Planet Earth.Colorado Convention Center, Denver, CO, USAContact: http://www.geosociety.org/meetings/2007

29 OCT-1 NOV. International Group of FundingAgencies for Global Change Research (IGFA)Annual Meeting. Vienna, AustriaContact: [email protected]

30 OCT-2 NOV. Training Workshop onDeveloping Adaptation Strategies for the Asiaand Africa Regions (collaborative workshopwith UNITAR). Yogyakarta, Indonesia.Contact: [email protected]

31 OCT-2 NOV. Technical Meeting andStakeholder Outreach Workshop on MinimisingImpacts of Palm Oil and Biofuel Production inSoutheast Asia on Peatlands, Biodiversity andClimate Change. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Contact: [email protected]

NOVEMBER

14 NOV. UNU Symposium on POPs: GlobalTransport, Best Environmental Practice, andRisk Perception.Sari Pan Pacific Hotel, Jakarta, Indonesia.Contact: [email protected]

18-24 NOV. Joint Workshop on Using CDMOpportunities to Mitigate the Release ofGreenhouse Gases by Improving WasteManagement Practices. Kathmandu, NepalContact: [email protected]; [email protected]

21-23 NOV. Biodiversity of the Marginal Seas ofthe Northwestern Paciifc Ocean.Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy ofSciences, Qingdao, China.Contact: [email protected]

28-29 NOV. GEO IV: Fourth Plenary Session of theGEO. Cape Town. South Africa.Contact: [email protected]

30 NOV. GEO Ministerial Summit.Cape Town. South Africa.Contact: [email protected]

DECEMBER

2 DEC. APN International Seminar on GlobalWarming and Ecosystem/Biodiversity Changes:Facing the Challenge of Changing Ecosystems.Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, Kobe, Japan.Contact: [email protected]

2-4 DEC. Third Asian Water Cycle Symposium.Oita International House of the Japan StudentServices Organisation, Beppu, JapanContact: [email protected]

3-4 DEC. The First Asia-Pacific Water Summit.Oita Prefecture, Japan.Contact: [email protected] or visithttp://www.apwf.org

3-14 DEC. Thirteenth Conference of the Parties tothe UNFCCC and Third Meeting of the Parties tothe Kyoto Protocol. Bali, Indonesia.Contact: UNFCCC Secretariat - tel: +49-228-815-1000; fax: +49-228-815-1999; e-mail:[email protected] ;or visit http://www.unfccc.int

5 DEC. Regional Dialogue related to APNProject “Capacity Building in Asian Countrieson Climate Change Issues Related to FutureRegime”. Putri Bali Hotel, Nusa Dua,Bali, Indonesia.Contact: [email protected]

8-9 DEC (tentative). Project Workshop related toAPN Project “Assessing the Mitigation andAdaptation Options for Tropical Peatlands toReduce GHG Emissions and IncreaseResilience to Climate Change. (also hasapproved exhibit at the UNFCCC COP13/MOP3, 3-14 December). Bali, Indonesia.Contact: [email protected]

13-14 DEC. “Land Conversions and EcosystemConsequences under Climate Change in theTropical Rain of Borneo: Developing SocietalAdaptability with Integrated EcosystemManagement” Workshop. Kyoto, JapanContact: [email protected]

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], Website: http://www.apn-gcr.org

Views expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily represent those of the APN.APN Newsletter Editors: Linda Anne Stevenson, Maricel Tapia and Perlyn PulhinContributors (this issue): Ma. Victoria Espaldon, Evgeny Gordov, Sovannora Ieng, Arshad Muhammad Khan,Bhoj Raj Khanal, Nguyen Thi Kim Oanh, Sibaji Raja, Chhemendra Sharma, Ramon Sevilla, Priyadarshi ShuklaJoan Pauline Talubo, Sirintornthep Towprayoon, Xiaodong YanDesign and Layout: Perlyn Pulhin

Please feel free to visit our online calendar (http://www.apn-gcr.org/en/calendar.html) and global

change announcements(http://www.apn-gcr.org/en/

gcannouncements.html), for some details and amore extensive list of events.

ICSU invites applications for ICSU Executive Directorposition. For more details, please visit http://www.icsu.org/9_latestnews/latest_26.html

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