Adaptation at Altitude is a newly-formed collaborative programme launched and co-supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation that aims to boost the resilience and adaptation of mountain communities in the face of climate change.
Mountain regions play a vital role for the well-being of all forms of life on earth for a multitude of reasons. Covering nearly a fourth of the Earth’s land surface, they home over one billion people, host 25% of the Earth’s biodiversity and 60% of its biosphere reserves, and supply freshwater to half of the world’s population.
The effects of climate change on mountain areas are already being seen and the consequences are profound: rising temperatures are melting glaciers while changing precipitation patterns are disrupting water flows and the ecosystems they serve, threatening the local communities that depend on them.
These communities are often already vulnerable, many times confronting poverty and land degradation, and are especially sensitive to the negative impacts of climate change that now aggravate the burden of surviving in a rugged environment.
While mountain communities have developed their own adaptation strategies, innovative approaches must be developed in parallel to these strategies so that both traditional and contemporary approaches are carried out in tandem. It is vital that this knowledge is then shared among the mountain communities and with policymakers so that adaptation matches the scale of the changes.
The activities envisioned in the Adaptation at Altitude programme aim to develop and improve the following four key areas:
- Data, information and monitoring (MRI’s Flagship activity GEO Mountains will play a fundamental role in improving the access and use of mountain observation data and information services)
- Regional science-policy exchange and collaborative action
- Knowledge generation and sharing
- Policy mainstreaming
Advancements in these critical spheres will lead to improved knowledge on climate change adaptation strategies, which can then be transferred and applied to science-policy platforms and decision-making at both local and global levels.
The first phase runs from 2020 to 2023.
Visit the Official Adaptation at Altitude Website
Adaptation at Altitude Partners
The Adaptation at Altitude programme is implemented by the Consorcio para el Desarollo Sostenible de la Ecorregión Andina (CONDESAN), the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the Mountain Research Initiative (MRI), the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the University of Geneva, and Zoï Environment Network.
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Supported By
The Adaptation at Altitude programme is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
Estefania Quenta Herrera (Bolivia) obtained her Masters degree from the Mayor de San Andrés University in Bolivia, and her PhD degree from the University of Tours in France. Currently, she is a Research Associate at the Institute of Sustainable Development and at the Institute of Ecology at the Mayor de San Andrés University.
During her Masters and Doctoral theses, she studied the ecology of aquatic species of wetlands of Tropical Andes. Furthermore, Estefania has gained experience on mountain ecosystems through her participation as a research assistant and associate in projects about glacier streams in Ecuador and geothermal streams in Bolivia.
Estefania was selected from almost 100 candidates for our Mentoring and Training Program in IPCC Processes for Early Career Mountain Researchers, a joint initiative between the MRI, University of Zurich, Helvetas, and ICIMOD, supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
Achieving sustainable development in Latin America, and specifically in the Tropical Andes and Central America region, continues to be a major challenge. Although some progress has been made towards an adequate understanding of the barriers that impede progress towards this goal, the advances have been more thematically driven than with an integrated approach; with collaborative efforts of existing networks, particularly from research and practice in mountains, focused on socio-ecological variables of sustainable development.
However, it has been difficult to define and coordinate a strategic research or teaching agenda for the region in order to contribute to this purpose. On the other hand, there is a gap in translating results of research to practice and policy. One of the reasons that explain this situation is the challenge researchers face in adequately capturing information needs from decision makers, and based on that, carrying out studies that offer useful and relevant results for public or private sector management and decisions.
Project Objectives and Activities
Conéctate A+ is a research collaboration hub in the Tropical Andes and Central America region focused on climate change, ecosystems, and health in view of sustainable development. Conéctate A+ functions as a ‘network of networks,’ drawing on the existing networks coordinated and led by MRI and CONDESAN, as well as combining new partnerships.
Conéctate A+ (to be translated as: connect yourself to the Tropical Andes and Central America region) brings together a wide range of interdisciplinary expertise from Switzerland and the Tropical Andes and Central America region. In terms of research and teaching, Conéctate A+ will draw on existing thematic expertise and progressively expand the scope of topics according to bottom-up processes and interests of the respective communities in Switzerland and the Tropical Andes and Central America region.
Among its proposed activities, Conéctate A+ will foster collaborative exchange among the CLOC partners in the Tropical Andes and Central America region and Switzerland via an online platform. The platform will also fulfil a broader function as a broker for the ‘network of networks’ and node for research and collaboration on ecosystems, climate change, and health in the Tropical Andes and Central America region. Other activities to be offered through Conéctate A+ to the local research communities will include capacity-building and ‘training for trainers’ programs, a small grants program for synthesis workshops and research collaborations, and other events.
For other and new SUDAC members with interest to collaborate thematically on climate change, ecosystems, and/or health in the Tropical Andes and Central America region, Conéctate A+ provides the opportunity to join and be part of the network as an Associate member and thereby be eligible to participate in the many activities on offer.
Click the button below to see more information about Conéctate A+.
Visit the Official Conéctate A+ Website
CLOC Conéctate A+ Co-Heads
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CLOC Conéctate A+ Founding Partners
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CLOC Conéctate A+ Associate Member
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Supported By
Conectaté A+ is supported by the swissuniversities Development and Cooperation Network (SUDAC) 'Clusters of Cooperation in the Global South' (CLOCs) programme, which offers targeted support for collaboration between the various types of Swiss higher education institutions and their partners from the Global South in order to achieve an excellent standard of education, research and innovation on global challenges.
Prashant Baral (Nepal) is a PhD candidate at NIIT University, India. Originally from Bhadrapur in eastern Nepal, he completed his masters at Kathmandu University in 2013 with expertise in glacier mass balance measurements and analysis of meteorological variables.
During a research internship at ICIMOD in Nepal, Prashant studied permafrost distribution in the Himalayas. Later, he worked as Research Associate at ICIMOD and Kathmandu University in Nepal. In 2017, he moved to Rajasthan in India for his doctoral research, which is focused on simulating permafrost conditions in the Himalayan region using remotely sensed data and computational models.
Prashant was selected from almost 100 candidates for our Mentoring and Training Program in IPCC Processes for Early Career Mountain Researchers, a joint initiative between the MRI, University of Zurich, Helvetas, and ICIMOD, supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
