This paper analyzes the effects of climate change on hydrology and water resources in the Limpopo River Basin of Southern Africa, using a semidistributed hydrological model and the Water Simulation Module of the International Model for Policy Analysis of Agricultural Commodities and Trade (IMPACT). The analysis focuses on the effects of climate change on hydrology and irrigation in parts of the four riparian countries within the basin: Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

The ten ASARECA member countries (Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda) have adopted, or are planning to adopt, a range of climate change adaptation strategies in agriculture (see Table 1 for a summary). Of the 26 strategies mentioned, only two are common to all 10 countries, while five more are common to five or more. The strategies common to all member countries include the development and promotion of drought-tolerant and early-maturing crop species and exploitation of new and renewable energy sources.

This publication provides an overview of some the most important land-related environmental and climate change problems that the world is facing. land, Environment and climate change offers an overview of the relationship between land tenure, land management approaches and the environment. this document identifies clear linkages between land, environment and climate change, moving from a scientific framework to a country level implementation framework. the implications this has in urban and rural areas are presented, and illustrated with 20 brief cases.

The Second Working Group of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC 2007) and other scientific bodies present the case that climate change profoundly shapes ecological, social, and economic interactions. As the specter of global climate change unfolds, existing struggles will deepen over use, control, and management of land and other natural resources. In unpredictable ways, climate change will provoke adjustments in the value of land and other natural resources; simultaneously, climate change will intensify human migration and displacement.

Studies on the impact of climate change and sea level rise usually rake climate scenarios as their starting point. To support long-term water management planning int he Netherlands, this paper starts at the opposite end of the effect chain. The study refers to three aspects of water management:

flood defence
drinking water supply
protection of the Rotterdam harbour.

Climate change prompts policymakers to pursue a low carbon energy pathway in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, this can lead to trade-offs with other sustainability objectives. This policy brief outlines key issues relating to biodiversity and the development of the hydropower sector in Vietnam. It is aimed at informing policymakers, civil society and donors. It argues that the large-scale development of the country’s hydropower sector is being undertaken without due consideration of the impacts that this is having on the nation’s biodiversity.

The Limpopo River Basin is home to 14,000,000 people, at least half of whom live in rural areas. Over ten million South Africans live in the basin - nearly 25% of the national population. The remaining population live in Botswana - one million people, nearly 60% of the national population - Mozambique and Zimbabwe. While there are no major cities located on the river, several major urban areas in or adjacent to the basin impact water availability including quality.

This paper examines the effect of climate change on pastoralist conflict in Africa. The rangelands of East Africa is particularly vulnerable to drought, which is associated with climate change. In this respect, the paper focuses its analysis on changes in resource availability contrasting cases of abundance and scarcity. The authors clarify that the role of resources is further contextualised by competing notions of property rights, and the role of the state in defining property and associated rights.

This working paper examines how Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) has been framed in Indonesia’s media. The report’s findings are based on content analysis of three national newspapers and a series of expert interviews. It is argued that Indonesia’s REDD+ discourse revolves primarily around land use, where REDD+ conservation is pitted against economic growth fuelled by land use change.

This policy brief, published by the Centre for International Forestry Research, provides a snapshot of 17 REDD+ pilot projects in Indonesia. It begins by discussing early REDD+ pilots in Indonesia and then provides a comprehensive typology of REDD+ activities in Indonesia. The brief continues with a discussion of the motivation behind different pilot models and the following section outlines research needs and implications of REDD+ design in Indonesia.

Land degradation in the Philippines is a serious environmental problem with long-term implications for the sustainability of agricultural production. Protection of the resource base has thus become a policy priority, whether in terms of improving crop management in the lowlands or more urgently, arresting soil erosion in the uplands. This review aims to compile and evaluate estimates of the costs of land degradation; then analyze the costs, benefits, and equity implications of priority measures to protect soil resources; and lastly, draw implications for policy.

This policy brief discusses the issue of food security in relation to trade and the anticipated impacts of climate change within Southeast Asia. It begins by contextualizing the debate before examining the manner in which trade, climate change and food security are interlinked within the Mekong region. The brief goes onto examine Cambodia as a case study in order to establish lessons for other countries in the region.