1. Peer Consultation Workgroups
Organized peer workgroups to research and share needs, strategies, and priorities on current controversies

2. Peer to peer learning Take advantage of group expertise on selected topics, for example:
Extreme events/disaster planning/risk management
Rural/human impacts, food security, community forestry
Forest Carbon – Measuring, monitoring, verification –REDD+
Governance: Coalition Building/Institutional Coordination/Climate Negotiations/Conflict Resolution
Drought and water related impacts
Sea Level Rise, coastal dynamics, fisheries
National GHG Inventories/ Data Sharing
Grasslands and grazers -- Arid ecosystems
“Tipping points” – Predicting and avoiding rapid unrecoverable environmental change
Engineering solutions – geoengineering, alternative energy….
Decision-making strategies –
Scenario Planning
Open Standards (Miradi)
Structured Decision Making
Participatory Mapping

3. Steps Organize into 5-6 peer workgroups
Each group -- agree on a technical/policy area to synthesize and report on to the full seminar
Narrow the topic to one (or more) that are of critical importance, but susceptible to making measurable progress in a few years
Design a one-hour interactive session to communicate key findings and recommendations to the whole seminar

4. More steps Decide how to divide and coordinate the work
Research and consult
Review. Identify missing information
(Optional) Talk to local experts
Synthesize
Present to the whole seminar (1 hour, ½ or more by leading a discussion)
If appropriate – expand into your action plan
Recommend follow-up opportunities

5. Responsibilities Work cooperatively Divide the workload
Each does his or her part
Early – decide on roles
Moderator/chair
Recorder
Research
Presentation materials….

6. Broad Goals
Peer-to-peer learning about current core issues in climate change and natural resources
Agreement on the most critical and actionable research and management question in knowledge domain (e.g., carbon markets, food security, climate impacts on biodiversity…)
A synthesis of the state of knowledge, and promising strategic approaches, for country-level
Assessment of climate impacts
Adaptation and mitigation strategies
Governance, cooperation, and conflict resolution
Information sharing

7. Information Goals To cooperatively discover:
Available key information and tools
Critical information gaps;
Key actors, and innovative approaches;
Potential funding sources;
Opportunities for new collaborations -- combining expertise and experiences from multiple countries;

8. Possible Questions to Ask
Available key information and tools
Critical information gaps
Key actors, and innovative approaches
Potential funding sources
Opportunities for new collaborations -- combining expertise and experiences from multiple countries

9. Possible Questions to Ask
Impacts of climate change within the workgroup topic
Adaptation or mitigation opportunities and strategies
Who are the critical players? Leading innovators?
Are there major international initiatives?  Funding sources?
What are the major information needs and information gaps?
What are your country’s greatest advantages? Vulnerabilities?
What are the capacity-building needs and opportunities?
What are your organization’s greatest strengths? Weaknesses?
Are there opportunities for collaboration?  Low hanging fruit?
How do you decide what worked? What failed? (Indicators? Monitoring?)

10. Be Creative!