Regional Climate Change Adaptation Knowledge Platform for Asia & Asia Pacific Adaptation Network (APAN)

We aim to;  Build climate resilience of vulnerable communities, ecosystems and economies;  Foster generation and exchange of knowledge and practices on CCA;  Increase adaptive capacities;  Facilitate integration of knowledge into decision making processes and actions;  Bridge gap between knowledge providers and users;  Promote partnerships for transformative actions. Partners: AIT-UNEP RRCAP, UNEP ROAP, SEI, IGES, Ministry of Environment-Japan, ADB, SIDA and APN. Websites:

Why the need to manage adaptation knowledge? Initiatives undertaken independently from each other Proliferation of adaptation experience, research and innovations Little organised exchange of information and knowledge Linking research, policy, and ‘on the ground’ action Blending traditional/indigenous knowledge with science

 Web Portal: Climate Change Adaptation in Asia & the Pacific Website:  Bi-monthly Sharing & Learning Thematic Seminars: 2010: CCA & DRR, EBA, CBA, 2011: CSR, Media, River Basins and CCA, Gender & CCA  Workshops & Training  Web Portal: Climate Change Adaptation in Asia & the Pacific Website:  Bi-monthly Sharing & Learning Thematic Seminars: 2010: CCA & DRR, EBA, CBA, 2011: CSR, Media, River Basins and CCA, Gender & CCA  Workshops & Training Knowledge sharing & Networking

MAINSTREAMING ADAPTATION INTO DEVELOPMENT PLANNING Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum October 2010 United Nations Conference Center Bangkok, Thailand

 Mapping knowledge sharing process, flow, protocol, priority, “culture”  Supporting existing National programmes on adaptation knowledge: Cambodia Climate Change Alliance (CCCA), Thailand (CCKM), NCCKMC  Facilitating (/establishment) “adaptation knowledge hubs”: B’desh (UKCDS, ARCAB), Nepal (NAPA), Sri Lanka (UNDP/CC Secretariat), Mongolia  Strengthening publishing and dissemination of knowledge products & expanding multilingualism (Cambodia, Thailand)  Enhancing networking and communication (CCA List serves) National Level Initiatives

Strengths & Trends ..generation of adaptation knowledge ..knowledge is being organized and synthesized based on principles of geo-referenced formats

Local level knowledge users… Local level impacts and analysis of these impacts; Improvements in understanding and predicting climate science; Knowledge of the individual farmer; Improved integrated knowledge; People centered information.

How local knowledge users want knowledge, and from where: Knowledge with reduced uncertainties; Validated knowledge by the focus of research/ knowledge generators; Knowledge that is tied to action solutions; Knowledge downscaled to enhance understanding, refined for applicability, aided by visual tools, and distributed by/ accessible by local institutions.

Local level knowledge providers… Limited stakeholder awareness on CC; The need to listen, interpret and contribute relevant information, and not top-down; CCA planning processes are based on incomplete information, and or reluctant to use a broader base of knowledge; Miss match between knowledge generation scales temporally to render the usefulness of knowledge attained closer to real time needs.

A Way Forward…. How donor agencies allocate resource support to knowledge management efforts; Adaptation community to enhance/ expand their engagements beyond the usual actors.

“Knowledge is the only treasure you can give entirely without running short of it.” African proverb Adaptation Knowledge Management is not without its challenges……

S ecretariat AIT-UNEP Regional Resource Center for Asia & the Pacific Asian Institute of Technology Bangkok, Thailand Website: