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being reported. Nevertheless, adaptation to climate
change at local levels is facing some barriers, such
as a lack of relevant knowledge and capacity, as well
as significant lack of financial and human resources
and absence of adequate overall supporting policy
instruments. In addition, the current system of self-
governance decentralisation and statutory functions
limitations does not allow much opportunity to take
strengthened action on climate change at the local,
municipal level.
As general awareness of climate change issues
continues to grow and climate change impacts
are recognized as a threat by the general public,
the opportunity for adaptation increases. There is
more information available than ever on climate
change projections. However, sound knowledge-
based decisions, access to information and public
participation are still lacking in the region. Since the
collapse of the Soviet Union, monitoring activities have
been hindered in the countries of the South Caucasus
due to cutting down of the observation network. This
creates challenges of acquiring accurate and reliable
data for projections of climate change and its impacts
on economic sectors and ecosystems. Investment in
applied research and collection of data, such as about
glacier mass balance, water runoff, vulnerability
of economic sectors and impacts on ecosystems
services would also increase understanding of future
challenges and allow evidence based decision-
making. Therefore, certain measures should be
undertaken to improve data access and management,
e.g. establishing comprehensive climate exposure
and sensitivity indicators. Moreover, building the
foundation for an information exchange platform at
the sub-regional level would support enhancement
of national capacity in data management, particularly
in cases of shared ecosystems, such as the Caucasus
mountain ecoregion.
Ministries of environment in all three countries are
the designated authorities on climate change matters.
They host UNFCCC focal points as well as the focal
points for climate change financial instruments such
as the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The insufficient
designated national coordination mechanisms for
involving other relevant institutions, however, makes
it challenging for countries to design a coherent
approach to climate change adaptation. Also, human
and technical capacities are limited to cover needs
for action. In addition, climate change can compete
financially or thematically with other national
priorities, such as social concerns or diversifying the
national economies. To overcome these limitations,
use of certain mechanisms for technical and financial
assistance that are provided through the global
mechanisms, e.g. the Climate Technology Centre &
Network (CTCN), GCF and the Global Environment
Facility (GEF), would allow for enhanced action
towards climate change adaptation.
A final challenge for all three countries is to prioritize
mountain regions in national policy and strategies
and to design targeted actions to increase resilience of
mountain ecosystems and mountain communities to
climate change. Enhancedmonitoring and evaluation
of various measures and activities undertaken would
greatly serve as a strengthened approach towards
climate change and adaptation.