Outlook on climate change adaptation in the Tropical Andes mountains

Governance

Regional cooperation

6. Move from reactive to preventive action. A long- term approach focused on prevention is needed to adapt to climate change. Many effects to which society must adapt occur over decades and centuries. Efficient adaptation must acknowledge where long- term preventive measures are preferable to short- term reactive measures, and efforts must be made to ensure continuity both in policy as well as policy- implementing institutions. The institutional basis for long-term monitoring and observations should also be guaranteed. 7. Promote Result-Based Management. Comple­ mentary policy instruments are required to allow policies to be implemented: policy alone is not enough. Adaptation policies should be designed with inbuilt indicators and mechanisms to measure their degree of implementation success, effectiveness and failure. Policy monitoring and evaluation is especially important in remote areas and in areas where there is little prior experience. Such measures are central to a long-term approach to adaptation action.

8. Enhance technical capacity on climate change adaptation. Climate change affects all aspects of society and government. To reach the goals of climate change adaptation, it is therefore important that decision makers and implementers at all levels are educated about climate science and adaptation policy. This could be advanced by including information about climate change adaptation in the training of government actors at all scales, from central agencies to local governments - especially within mountain areas. Awareness-raising is generally valuable to ensuring that local people, private companies and governments work towards shared goals in climate change adaptation. 9. Build from existing traditional knowledge and strengthen women’s role. Andean mountain communities have been dealing with an adverse and changing environment since they first colonized the mountains more than 10,000 years ago. Their experiences should be used for local adaptation action and their knowledge to complement current research. The inclusion of traditional knowledge in the design and implementation of mountain adaptation policies has proved successful and should be further encouraged. Women have a profound knowledge of their environment and often play a greater role than men in the management of natural resources. Through their experiences, responsibilities and strength, women are a primary resource for adaptation and their roles should be strengthened by government.

10. Create an Andean data-sharing platform for adaptation. As the tropical Andean countries share many challenges and opportunities in the mountains due to climate change, there is potential for mutual benefit. Both natural and social scientific research and measurements, as well as lessons learned from implemented adaptation policies, should be shared to reduce costs, improve all countries’ adaptive capacity, and avoid the unnecessary duplication of research, policy efforts and other measures. Facilitating interdisciplinary discussions among experts on mountains and climate change could be an important part of the knowledge-sharing process. 11. Improve coordination between Andean countries on sustainable development in the mountains. International cooperation and coordination on mountain policy would be of mutual benefit to all Andean countries in order to strengthen their adaptive capacity and jointly take advantage of opportunities. The benefits of an Andean data-sharing platform could be further enhanced by regional coordination on the establishment and standardization of indicators and monitoring systems. Regional coordination could also ensure demand-driven research and monitoring. Mutual commitments in the region on adaptation policies, including joint objectives and programmatic priorities, could also facilitate a long-term approach.

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