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APN Newsletter April 2000
Message from the APN Director We have just returned from Pakistan where the 5th SPG and IGM meetings were held in Islamabad. It was pleasing to be able to report such good progress to member country representatives on so many different areas such as increases in funding, staffing and projects supported. Already we are off to a good start in 2000/2001 with a record 19 projects already funded, and I hope we will be able to keep up the momentum throughout the year. The last year was one of great change for the APN Secretariat with relocation to Kobe and a large increase in Secretariat staff. Things are now beginning to settle down and with strong foundations now in place I hope that this next year can be one of consolidation. We will be working hard to improve our proposals process, but at the same time we will also be taking forward more APN initiatives such as our Urbanisation programme. The APN Symposium on 11 July will be on the topic of "Urbanisation in Asia and the Global Environment" and will be followed by a 2nd planning meeting to take forward the research projects that will form the Urbanisation programme. Another important new initiative is our new Networking and Capacity Building Programme, designed to raise the involvement of those countries which have until now been included in very few APN funded activities. A fundamental goal of the APN is to increase developing country involvement in global change research, and with this programme we hope to take another step toward achieving it. For further details please see here Hiroaki Takagi Back to the contents of APN newsletter April 2000
Scientific Planning Group meeting After many years of service to the APN, Prof. Higuchi announced that he would be standing down as Co-Chair of the SPG. His contributions over the years were warmly applauded by the other SPG members, who elected Dr. Graeme Pearman of Australia to be his successor. Inter-Governmental Meeting The meeting approved 19 projects for funding in the following year from an activities budget of approx. US$1.3 million. The projects selected represent a diverse range of activities and scientific issues throughout the Asia-Pacific region and the full list is included on p7-10 of this newsletter. Some of this money will also go towards the new APN Networking and Capacity Building Programme described on p3. The meeting also drafted a joint statement of its "Conclusion on the Further Development of the APN". During both meetings a number of scientific presentations were made on major global change issues in the region. In particular, Dr. Amir Muhammed of Pakistan gave a detailed insight into the major global change issues affecting Pakistan. On the day between the two meetings the participants visited
the GIK Institute of Engineering, Science & Technology and the
Tarbela Dam which is used to for both irrigation purposes and to
generate electricity. Having seen some scientific facilities, the
participants then visited a couple of archeological sites at Taxila
on the way home. Back to the contents of APN newsletter April 2000 The first APN Call for Proposals was issued in 1997. Since then over 170 global change research proposals have been submitted to the APN of which 43 have been funded to date. A clear pattern of country involvement throughout the region has emerged during this period, with some countries submitting or being involved in very few projects. To assist the researchers of these countries to become more involved
in APN sponsored activities, it was agreed at the 5th IGM in Pakistan
to introduce an APN Networking and Capacity Building Programme,
to be funded by the Environment Agency of Japan. Similarly the Southeast Asian group of countries, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam will be provided with funding for one regional meeting, although precise details are yet to be worked out. In the second year the number of countries involved will be expanded to include Mongolia among others. Anyone wishing to know more about the programme should contact either their national Focal Point or SPG member or the APN Secretariat. Back to the contents of APN newsletter April 2000 APN SYMPOSIUM "URBANISATION IN ASIA AND THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT" The 2nd APN Global Change Symposium will be held on 11 July 2000 at the Awaji Yumebutai International Conference Centre, near Kobe. The symposium will involve a series of presentations on key environmental aspects of urbanisation by experts from throughout Asia, followed by overviews of mega-city case studies and a panel discussion. Confirmed speakers include Dr. Keshav Varma of the World Bank, Prof. Rajendra Pachauri of the Tata Energy Research Institute and Professor Katsutoshi Ohta of the University of Tokyo Department of Urban Engineering. The symposium, which is sponsored by Hyogo Prefectural Government and supported by the Environment Agency of Japan, is free of charge and is expected to attract 300-400 participants. It will coincide with the exhibition Japan Flora 2000 also held on Awaji Island. For further details on the symposium please contact the APN Secretariat. Back to the contents of APN newsletter April 2000 THE INTERNATIONAL GLOBAL CHANGE INSTITUTE UNIVERSITY OF WAIKATO, NEW ZEALAND The Problem Within the rubric of international agreements, such as the Montreal Protocol, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, preventive action has ultimately to be taken at the national scale. In terms of various impacts, the most vulnerable nations and people are often the least culpable for creating global changes and the least able to adapt effectively to the threats confronting them. In response to the needs of such countries within the Asia-Pacific region and elsewhere, the International Global Change Institute (IGCI) was established as an independent, self-funding unit within the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand. The Work of the IGCI The IGCI carries out its work through closely interacting programmes for research, professional training, higher degrees and integrated modelling. As a university-based institute, the IGCI seeks to extend the benefits of its research through applications in the international context. For example, within New Zealand, the IGCI-led CLIMPACTS research programme has developed an integrated model for examining the sensitivity of New Zealand's environment and resources to climate variability and change. Variations of this CLIMPACTS model - or "CLIM-CLONES" - have subsequently been developed for use in Bangladesh (BDCLIM), Australia (OZCLIM), Canada (CANCLIM), the Pacific Island region (PACCLIM) and Fiji (FIJICLIM). Similarly, exchanges and collaborative research with colleagues from, for example, Thai Nguyen University in northern Vietnam has resulted in new sustainable development projects. These include the introduction of modern organic farming techniques in the hill-land areas which are aimed at reducing poverty by increasing productivity while protecting the natural resource base. Recent highlights A key IGCI contribution to PICCAP was the development and delivery of a training course on Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment for Pacific Island Countries. The course included VANDACLIM, an integrated computer model and training tool for the mythical country of "Vanda Islands" - an adaptation of an earlier model developed in collaboration with UNITAR. The course and training tools were transferred to the University of the South Pacific in mid-1999, where it is now offered for post-graduate credit for sustainable capacity building in the Asia-Pacific region. In 1999, support from APN and the World Bank launched the PACCLIM workshop. PACCLIM is a prototype computer model developed under PICCAP for examining the effects of climate change on Pacific Island countries. The workshop achieved its objectives of building a consultative platform whereby stakeholders can contribute to furthering model developments, and of reviewing and testing PACCLIM model components. More recently, the experience in building capacity in the Pacific Islands was applied by IGCI and PICCAP to a training workshop for the Caribbean region. This successful workshop on Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment was supported by the National Communications Support Programme (NCSP) and held in Trinidad and Tobago in March, 2000. Future Directions For further information, please contact: Back to the contents of APN newsletter April 2000
In recent years, there has been a great improvement in scientific understanding about the significant role played by aerosols in the global environment. The Asian region has been subjected to intensive investigations because of the fact that some of the fastest growing economies among the developing world belong to this region and it is widely accepted fact that enhanced anthropological loading of aerosols in the atmosphere is a direct consequence of activities related to this economic growth For these reasons this project proposed to integrate and synthesize the available aerosol data in Asia-Pacific region in user friendly formats on CDs and on web-pages not only to meet the requirements of persons belonging to diverse disciplines like atmospheric chemistry, modelling, soil science, archaeology, health sector etc. but also to disseminate the available information to the policy makers for appropriate actions/ initiatives. For the synthesis and integration of existing available aerosol data CD-ROMS for South Asia and Southeast Asia have been released. The South Asia CD-ROM contains meta-data directory, aerosol data generated in South-Asian region during the last few years, synthesis report on acid rain studies in India and bibliography of references on measurement and monitoring of SO2, NOx and SPM in India. The South East Asia CD-ROM contains various information and data related to aerosol studies carried out so far in South-East Asian region. All the material of both the CD-ROMs are also available on the web pages of the START Regional Research Centres. The inter-regional cooperation on the characterization, regional
distribution, chemistry and impacts of aerosols was initiated through
a 'Regional-cum-interregional workshop' organized at National Physical
Laboratory, New Delhi from December 13 through 15, 1999, involving
about 30 participants representing South-Asian and South-East Asian
regions. During this workshop, capacity building efforts in the
areas of aerosol measurements and data synthesis using the latest
Internet tools were undertaken. The participants of the workshop
identified the priority areas like urban aerosols, biomass burning,
standard air pollution index, impacts of aerosols on climate, agriculture
and human health which deserve focused attention in respect of experimental
and policy planning. 1. Aerosols are a pervasive feature of the Asian region. As such, considerations of aerosol related issues must include appropriate treatment of temporal and spatial scales. Indeed, aerosols cause major problems at local, regional as well as global levels as they have significant effect on Urban air quality; Human health; Agricultural productivity and Climate change and the hydrological cycle. While many Asian countries have already initiated national policies/programs to monitor aerosols to reduce their impacts, there is an opportunity now for the Asian scientific community, in concert with the regional policy community to exert leadership in promoting awareness of the Asian aerosol problem as well as on proposing concrete action steps to alleviate aerosol-induced negative impacts. In addition, it is also necessary to promote even more awareness of aerosol issues among policy/decision makers. One strategy should be to sensitize international bodies, such as APN-IGM, SBSTA and UNFCCC through national representatives and promote closer collaboration between bodies like NAM, ASEAN, WMO, and UNEP. 2. Given that a number of national and regional efforts need
better coordination, there is a need to develop and implement a
strategic, regionally coordinated and focused research effort to
quantify the environmental effects of aerosols and its consequences
on urban air quality, human health, agricultural productivity, and
the hydrological cycle at local, regional, and global scales to
resolve the aerosol related international issues. The proposed program
must be linked with the international operational programs such
as sponsored by IGBP, WMO, WHO and should be built upon research
projects like APN funded Pan Asian aerosol synthesis and integration
activities, INDOEX, China-MAP, East Asia Net. This effort should
be targeted to provide inputs for the ongoing inter-governmental
activities like IPCC assessments. The workshop recommended that
action should be initiated to seek support for such a coherent research
effort from appropriate national, regional, and global agencies. 3. The APN funded Asian Aerosol Data Synthesis and Measurement
project has enabled the compilation and integration of some of the
available basic aerosol data over the Asian region, which is now
available through CD-ROMs and websites. The workshop further recommended
that additional data such as population dynamics, vehicles types,
use patterns, fuel consumption, emission data, agricultural productivity
etc. should also be included for each of the regions in their data
base on CD-ROMs and web-sites. Continuous updating of data system
has therefore been recommended. For further details please contact <apmitra@doe.ernet.in> The above project was one of 14 funded by the APN in 1999/2000.
Back to the contents of APN newsletter April 2000 Daniel Murdiyarso, Impacts Centre for Southeast
Asia (IC-SEA) In response to the call of building regional capacity to assess the impacts of land-use change on terrestrial carbon stocks, the Global Change Impacts Centre for Southeast Asia (IC-SEA) was challenged to undertake a series of activities under APN support. The activity aims to provide technical and policy liaison support to the nations of South and Southeast Asia so they can be ready to participate in the operationalisation of the Kyoto Protocol using the best available research-based knowledge. The series of the project involves training workshops, a series of commissioned studies, and a science-policy workshop. Training Workshop Commissioned Reviews Science-Policy Workshop The workshop was held on 28-29 February 2000 and was attended
by 41 participants representing government agencies, business communities,
NGOs, Universities and research organisations. The presentations
were basically grouped into four sessions before the Breakout Working
Group. Those sessions were Scientific Understanding and Support,
Public Policy Responses, and Business Perspectives. It was recommended
that forestry sector may be included in the CDM Projects if it supports
sustainable forest management, and the benefit and risk is shared
fairly. Therefore, the group strongly felt that the most immediate
action to take is that the governments need to discuss the issue
more seriously, including To this end it is expected to produce a Policy Brief, Technical Report, and publications in reviewed journals. For further information, please visit <http://www.icsea.or.id>
or The above project was one of 14 funded by the APN in 1999/2000. Back to the contents of APN newsletter April 2000
Say hello... Gerhard Breulmann Martin Rice See picture of APN Secretariat members Back to the contents of APN newsletter April 2000 OCEANIA Meetings The second START-Oceania Committee Meeting will be held in April 2000, during the Pacific Islands Climate Change Conference (PICCC) in the Cook Islands. The Agenda will include the role of the Oceania APN Liaison Officer, and ways it can become more efficient and effective. Dr. Koshy and Ms. Wilson will be attending the Pacific Islands Climate Change Conference in Raratonga, from the 3-7 April. The University of the South Pacific (USP) will also be sending a team of eight scientists. APN Membership On Going Activities We will be continuing the support of all START and APN projects. Projects most likely to begin this year are the Integrated Coastal Zone Management coordinated by Associate Professor Dr. Nick. Harvey, (University of Adelaide) and the Human and Ecological Dimensions of Urbanization in the South Pacific coordinated by Dr. Meg Keen (ANU). Compiled from report by APN Liaison Officer Ms. Liz Wilson The SASCOM planning meeting for the year 2000-20001 was held in Dhaka (22nd-23rd February 2000). The country representatives from different SASCOM countries as well as a representative of the START Secretariat, representatives of the SASCOM Secretariat and Regional Research Center (RRC) and the APN Liaison officer for SASCOM, participated to review the progress of the ongoing SASCOM projects and formulate new projects. Also, presentations were made on Climate change related research studies undertaken in Bangladesh by scientists working in various institutes therein. An International training course on CO2 enrichment research and technology for SASCOM scientists was organized in IARI, New Delhi form 20th Sept. to 1st of Nov. 1999 as a part of the CO2 enrichment project sponsored by APN for the period 1999-2000 . This was followed by a Research-Policy Workshop in Dhaka from February 18-20, 2000 in which some of the OTC trained scientists, related policy representatives and international CO2 enrichment rice research and technology experts took part. A consensus was reached on conducting simultaneous CO2 enrichment experiments in each of the SASCOM countries following same protocol was worked out. Recommendations were made on the need for studies to be conducted on the response of plants to water stress under elevated CO2, to form crop modeling as an integral part of the project, and sensitize the policy makers on the effects of CO2 enrichment on food productivity through regular e-mail news letters and distribution of CD-ROMs containing data from published work were suggested. A workshop on Data related issues of the Indo Gangetic Plain (IGP) - NELDA experts meeting was organized in New Delhi from 28th-30th October 1999. Experts from the SASCOM and European Union attended the workshop. The meeting agreed to follow up on proposals related to (1) Environment degradation and high productive areas, (2) High Land ecological degradation, (3) Flood prone areas- hazards and environmental risks, (4) Land and water degradation in the metropolitan fringe. Compiled from report by APN Liaison Officer Dr. Sumana Bhattacharya
A five-week training workshop was The workshop The Impact of El Nino and La Nina on Southeast Asia brought together invited representatives of the scientific and decision-making communities from the IGCN nations of Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, as well as other countries in Southeast Asia and experts from outside the region to assess current understanding and to consider how the scientists of this region might promote effective responses to El Nino and La Nina events. The workshop participants advanced some detailed recommendations regarding practical action that should be taken promptly to strengthen the region's capacity to respond effectively to El Nino and La Nina events. Phase II of the Landuse Cover Change project has been extended
to include more study sites and new mem-
Phase II will also examine regional analyses and links, such as national to global change research, greenhouse gases, and the link to carbon cycle. This workshop was followed by a meeting of the Southeast Asia component of Global Observation of Forest Cover from 31 January - 2 February. GOFC is a pilot project of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) whose goal is to strengthen the use of satellite data for forest monitoring. Recommendations from the workshop included compile existing GOFC activities, harmonize baseline datasets, develop and test prototype information network, and more capacity building especially for new teams. Compiled from report by APN Liaison Officer Ms. Connie Chiang
An International Conference & Young Scientist Workshop on
Asia Monsoon Environmental System and Global Change will be organized
by START TEA-RC and is to be held on November 15-17, 2000 in Nanjing,
China. The purpose of the conference is to discuss the current understanding
of monsoon environmental system change associated with global change,
and the policy relevant recommendations regarding ecological, economic
and social activities adaptive to global change. Papers are invited
to address the following topics: 1) Asia monsoon environmental system
change in the context of global change; 2) Atmosphere-vegetation-hydrology
interaction in the monsoon environmental system associated with
aridification; 3) Climate-chemistry interaction in the monsoon region;
and 4) Impacts of change of monsoon environmental system on the
sustainable development of East Asia. Applications from young The LUTEA database development working group meeting was held in Kobe, Japan, February 21-23, 2000 in conjunction with LUTEA/LUCC-Japan joint workshop. About 40 participants attended the meeting, the focus of which was to develop a series of working papers focused on social-economic analysis and associated physical data sets for the regions of Mongolia and China. The database and land-use regional model analyses were evaluated, a draft set of papers on methodology and preliminary results were reviewed and synthetic papers were developed. Compiled from report by APN Liaison Officer Mr. Zhibin Wan Back to the contents of APN newsletter April 2000 Oceania South Asia Southeast Asia Temperate East Asia Back to the contents of APN newsletter April 2000
Views expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily represent
those of the APN Secretariat. APN Newsletter Editor: James Robertson |