Adaptation Studies

Adaptation studies in Southeast Asia are still few. For Indonesia, adaptation is new, compared to climate change mitigation. This is reflected in the First National Communication, delivered in 1999, which did not have section on adaptation. However, the Indonesian government considers the importance of addressing adaptation given the country’s vulnerability to climate change.

As a result, a new sub-division on climate change adaptation has been put into service in the organization structure of the Ministry of Environment starting from August 2005, under the climate change division. A study on socio-economic impacts of climate change, funded by ADB in 1993, and an assessment on vulnerable areas to climate change in 1993-1995, funded by USCPA (United State Climate Partnership Association), will be considered as a basis to start adaptation activities.

In the Philippines, assessments on vulnerability have been undertaken for many sectors.  They produced information for the National Action Plan (NAP). All previous studies on climate change were consolidated through NAP and, from that time, it has taken lead in the vulnerability and adaptation studies in the Philippines.

Some Adaptation activities in the Southeast Asian include:

  • Farmer capacity building for coping with climate change,

    This study, sponsored by NOAA, has an objective to increase resilience of farmers to cope with the impacts of climate change and climate variability in Indonesia. It is conducted by Dr. Rizaldi Boer from Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) in West Java, Indonesia.

  • Community based water management,

    This is a NOAA sponsored project for analyzing the impact of climate change on water availability, in particular for hydropower, and how the community based management is developed in order to maintain proficient water for hydropower. This project was conducted in Citarum river basin, West Java, in collaboration with PLN (National Electricity Enterprise), and led by Dr. Rizaldi Boer from Bogor Agricultural University (IPB).

  • Climate Field School,

    This is a new project supported by the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture, Meteorological and Geophysics Agency (BMG) and Bogor Agricultural University (IPB). The ultimate goal of the project is to educate farmers on understanding basic knowledge of climatology. It will also build the farmer’s capacity to read and understand climate information/data (forecasted data), so that they can better plan agricultural activities taking into account this information. This project is in line with BMG’s ambitions to install 600 automatic weather stations spreading over Indonesia by 2009. More information can be reached here.

  • Applying Climate Information to Enhance the Resilience of Farming Systems Exposed to Climate Risk in South and Southeast Asia,

    This project was a three year initiative (2002 to 2004) funded by APN, lead by Dr. James Hansen, and the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI), USA. This project built on previous work in India and Pakistan (APN2000-017), which established a network of research teams with capacity to apply agricultural systems modeling to evaluate options for managing climatic risk. Building on that foundation, this project aims to demonstrate and deliver benefits from climate forecast information for agricultural decision makers, and plot a course for large-scale, sustained operational support of seasonal climate prediction within the target countries (India, Indonesia and Pakistan). This CLIMAG project brings together scientists from key research organizations of the target countries, Australia and the USA. Activities link closely with partner projects such as the Advanced Training Institute on Climatic Variability and Food Security (ATI, funded by Packard Foundation) and AIACC activities in Argentina and Uruguay. The RES AGRICOLA network facilitates transfer of tools and methodologies. More detail information can be found here.

  • An Integrated Assessment of Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability in Watershed Areas and Communities in Southeast Asia,

    This project, led by Rodel Lasco of the University of the Philippines at Los Baños College of Forestry and Natural Resources, Philippines, assesses the impacts of climate change and associated land use and cover change on water resources, forest ecosystems, and social systems of watersheds in Southeast Asia. Studies are conducted in selected watersheds of the Philippines and Indonesia while providing training and technical assistance to scientists from Indo-China on research methods to be implemented in their watersheds. Future climate scenarios are developed, downscaled and used with a climate-vegetation model to predict future land use and cover change. The impacts of climate and land use/cover change are assessed with measures of change in biodiversity, carbon and water budgets, livelihood, health, demographic shifts, and changes in social structure resulting from climate and land use/cover change. Integrated vulnerability assessments of natural and social systems in the watershed are conducted and adaptation strategies are evaluated. Research findings and policy implications will be presented to policy makers and development workers. The countries involved are: Philippines, Indonesia, and Indo-China (Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia). Further information is under this link.