Asia-Pacific Network for Global
Change Research (APN)
20 years of policy-relevant global change research in
the Asia-Pacific region

APN Secretariat
Dyota Condrorini

Asia Pacific Network forGlobal Change Research(APN)
An inter-governmental network of 22 countries* in the Asia-Pacific fosteringresearch, capacity development and science-policy interaction in the fields
of global change and sustainability
APN’s main activities include:-Supporting regional research and capacity development on fields related to
global change and sustainability-Strengthening evidence-based science-policy linkages, informing decisionmaking and enhancing public awarenessOur donors

Ministry of theEnvironment, Japan

Hyogo PrefecturalGovernment, Japan

Ministry for theEnvironment, New Zealand

Ministry of Environment,
Republic of Korea** We are supported by all member countries through their in-kind contribution in terms of reviewing
proposals, hosting and participating in APN meetings, in-country promotion of APN, etc. APN funded
projects also provided substantial in-kind support through staff time, facilities and equipment, etc.

1998

1st Regional
Research Project
launched
1996-2004
First Phase

19962003

Founded

1st CAPaBLE
Project

2005-2010
SecondPhase2007

2010-2015
Third Phase2010$10m 22
disbursedmembers

2016

>$26m
disbursed

launched419
projects funded
as of May 2016

What have we achieved?
Regional Research Programme 182 peer-reviewed publications
 641 tangible outputs
 22 (47%) projects directly linked
with major GC programmes &projects (WCRP, IHDP, IGBP,DIVERSITAS, etc )CAPaBLE Programme
60 CAPaBLE Projects

223 workshops/events

4117 people directly engaged

Over 2600 people
directly engaged(scientists, policy makers,practitioners … )
218
47218
collaborators

161 publications: proceedings, policybriefs, toolkits, training manuals …

47
project
leaderswww.apn-gcr.org/resources/

What have we learned?
•It is highly crucial to respond to policy needs– APN’s supported research and capacity development should be aligned with member
countries’ policíes•There is an increasing needs for capacity development in member countries,
which APN should be able to respond to.
– In addition to sharing theoretical knowledge, practical (hands-on) training is also needed•There is a need to strengthen APN’s network of researchers to involve all
disciplines, including social disciplines and to engage more trans-/multidisciplinary research•There is a need to strengthen the network, and establish collaboration andpartnerships with other network and organizations that share common goals andsimilar interests•There is a need to be more proactive in communicating results and findings,
outreaching wider communities and publicWhat have we planned?
VisionAn Asia-Pacific region that is successfully
addressing the challenges of global change andsustainability

Goals
Regional
Collaborative
Research

Capacity
Development

Science-Policy
Interaction

Partnershipswithstakeholders

4th Strategic Plan:•Research Agenda•Capacity Development Agenda•Science-Policy Agenda•Communication and Outreach Agenda
http://apn-gcr.org/r/4sp

Research Agenda
ClimateChange andClimate
Variability

Risk
ReductionandResilience

Shifting focus towards
solutions-oriented research(source: 4th Strategic Plan)

Cross-cutting
issues, S-P
linkages, andthe humandimensionsof global
changeResources
Utilisation
andPathways for
Sustainable
Development

Biodiversity
andEcosystems

Changes inthe
Atmospheric, Terrestrialand Marine
Domains

Capacity Development Agenda
Who?

How?

• Young and early career scientists• CAPaBLE Programme• Policy makers• Proposal Development TrainingWorkshops• Community leaders• Resource managers• Science-Policy Dialogues andother forums• Stakeholder engagement
throughout projects• Mitra Award/poster sessions• Synthesis and assessments

Science-Policy Agenda•

APN is committed to:– strengthening evidence-based science-policy linkages– informing decision-making– enhancing public awareness•

Science-Policy Dialogues– Bangkok, Thailand (2012)– Thimphu, Bhutan (2014)– Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (2015)– Paro, Bhutan (December, 2016)– In collaboration with IPBES (2017)•Synthesis of APN Science-Policy Dialogue Series

Communication and Outreach•••••

Raise awareness on APN’s activities and achievement
Effectively and widely disseminate solution-oriented outputs, outcomes andfindings of APN activities
Inform about APN’s opportunities (funding, partnership)
Foster effective communication among members
Facilitate effective communication among researchers, practitioners andother stakeholders
Target Audiences• APN members,
government, internationalorganisations and donors• Decision makers andpractitioners• Scientists, researchers• Media• Private sector, generalpublicCommunication tools andproducts:• Print media/e-publications(reports, books, information
sheets, policy briefs, etc)
• Mass media• Electronic media (ownedmedia, social media)• Events

Engaging different
target audiences withtailor-designed
information using themost appropriate
tools.

GEOSS-related Activities

••

GEOSS

APN

Connect the demand for soundand timely environmental
information with the supply of dataand information about the Earth thatis collected through observing
systems and made available by theGEO community.
facilitating Earth observations’accessibility and application to
global decision-making within andacross many different domains

Enable investigations of changes inthe Earth’s life support systems andtheir implications for sustainable
development in the Asia-Pacific region
through support for research, capacity
development and science-policy
linkages that:

Social Benefit Areas: (i) Biodiversity andEcosystem Sustainability; (ii) Disaster
Resilience; (iii) Energy and Mineral
Resources Management; (iv) Food,Security and Sustainable Agriculture; (v)Infrastructure and Transportation
Management; (vi) Public Health
Surveillance; (vii) Sustainable Urban
Development; (viii) Water Resources
Management•••

Identify, explain, project and predictchanges in the context of both natural andanthropogenic forcing;
Assess potential regional and global
vulnerability of natural and human systems;
andContribute, from the science perspective, tothe development of policy options forappropriate responses to global change andsustainable development.

Research & Capacity Development
Pathways: (i) Climate Change andClimate Variabilities; (ii) Ecosystems andBiodiversity; (iii) Changes in Atmospheric,Terrestrial and Marine Domains; (iv)
Resources Utilisation and Pathways for
Sustainable Development; (v) Risk
Reduction and Resilience

ARCP & CAPaBLE Programme
Until 2013, APN financially supported 10 projects (773,193 USD) related toGEOSS. Seven projects are directly related to Asian Water Cycle Initiative
1.
2.

GEOSS/Asian water Cycle Initiative/Water Cycle Integrator (GEOSS/AWCI/WCI)River Management System Development in Asia based on Data Integration and Analysis System(DIAS) under the GEOSS
3. Climate Change Impact Assessment on the Asia-Pacific Water Resources under AWCI/GEOSS”
4. "Flood Risk Management Demonstration Project (phase 1) under the Asian Water Cycle Initiative
for the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (FRM/AWCI/GEOSS)"
5. International Integrated Water Data Access and Transfer in Asia (IIWaDATA) Project
6. Impact of Climate Change on Glacier Melting and Water Cycle Variability in Asian River Basins
7. Demonstration Study on Advancing Global Change Research Approaches Based on InterAgency Collaboration and Data Infrastructure of GENESI and GeoBrain
8. Drought Monitoring System Development by Integrating In-Situ Data, Satellite Data andNumerical Model Output
9. The Global Earth Observation System of Systems Asian Water Cycle Initiative Observation
Convergence and Data Integration (GEOSS/AWCI/OCDI)
10. The Capacity Building for Drought Monitoring and Studying in Monsoon Asia Under theFramework of Asian Water Cycle Initiative (AWCI)2016 APN’s CRRP and CAPaBLE Awardees
2015 APN Call for Proposals identified
priority areas: Increasing community
resilience in coastal and mountainareas; Energy, environment andecosystems; Extreme weather and its
impacts; Climate change and health;
Water, energy and food security; Globalchange data management (data policies,access); Risk reduction and resilience;and Sustainable consumption andproduction

Relevant GEOSS area – Disaster Resilience
1.

2.

3.

Risk and Resilience in the Pacific: Influence ofPeripherality on Exposure and Responses to
Global Change (http://www.apngcr.org/resources/items/show/2049)
SEACLID/CORDEX Southeast Asia Phase 2: Highresolution analysis of climate extremes over key
areas in Southeast Asia (Rapid mapping technique for disaster observationand environmental change data acquisition(http://www.apngcr.org/resources/items/show/2045)

Relevant GEOSS area – Public Health Surveillance
1.

Assessing the health effects of extreme temperatures and the development of adaptation strategies toclimate change in the Asia-Pacific region (http://www.apn-gcr.org/resources/items/show/2056)

Relevant GEOSS area – Water Resource Management
1.
2.

3.

Anthropogenic perturbations to carbon export and greenhouse gas evasion from Asian river systems(http://www.apn-gcr.org/resources/items/show/2047)
Development of new water supply strategies in two watersheds of India and Sri Lanka in the context ofclimate change, rapid urbanization and population growth: a vulnerability assessment approach(http://www.apn-gcr.org/resources/items/show/2052)
Adapting groundwater of Asian cities to climate change: bridging the science and policy interface(http://www.apn-gcr.org/resources/items/show/2042)

Relevant GEOSS area – Food Security & Sustainable Agriculture
1.

2.
3.
4.
5.

Managing organic amendments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and supplement fertiliser nitrogen
inputs in tropical Indian and Sri Lankan agricultural soils (http://www.apngcr.org/resources/items/show/2051)
Identification of the best agricultural management practices with better greenhouse gas benefits insalinity affected areas of South Asia (http://www.apn-gcr.org/resources/items/show/2055)
Water-Energy-Food nexus perspective: Path making for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) tocountry actions in Asia (http://www.apn-gcr.org/resources/items/show/2054)
Mainstreaming weather and climate information application for agro-ecosystem resilience in a changing
climate (http://www.apn-gcr.org/resources/items/show/2043)
Capacity Development of Agrarian Research-Policy-Technology Personnel in Sri Lanka on ‘Global
Change and Sustainability’ (http://www.apn-gcr.org/resources/items/show/2041)

Relevant GEOSS area – Sustainable Urban Development
1.
2.

Appropriate Solid Waste Management Towards Flood Risk Reduction Through Recovery of Drainage
Function of Tropical Asian Urban Cities (http://www.apn-gcr.org/resources/items/show/2053)
Enhancing perception and capacity for national and provincial leaders and practitioners on GHG
emission inventory to support the implementation of NAMAs and development of low-carbon cities inVietnam (http://www.apn-gcr.org/resources/items/show/2039)

Relevant GEOSS area – Biodiversity & Ecosystem Sustainability
1.
2.

Assessing land use functions for sustainable land management in Asia countries (http://www.apngcr.org/resources/items/show/2050)
Ecosystem Based Adaptation approach for Sustainable Management and Governance of Coastal
Ecosystems (ENGAGE ) (http://www.apn-gcr.org/resources/items/show/2044)

More projects information: http://www.apn-gcr.org/resources/Potential Collaborative Activities•Funding support for research and capacity building activities through the annualcalls for proposals programme and framework: Collaborative Regional ResearchProgramme, CRRP and Capacity Building Programme, CAPaBLE•

Sharing research results/accessing data-APN E-Lib•

Capacity development activities and technology transfer in the region in cooperation
with other institutions: APN proposal development training workshop for youngscientists•

Facilitating/partnering in science-policy linkages
 Science Policy Dialogue on Low Carbon Development, Bangkok, February2017
 Science Policy Dialogue Series (in collaboration with IPBES) 2017 - 2019

•Linking with partner research programmes and facilitating regional collaboration(AWCI is a current good example)

THE WAY FORWARD

Current and Future APN Activities
121 Summary
Improved APN call for proposals* and review systemand expanding our network of reviewers, to include
various range of disciplines

Proposals under 2016
Call for Proposals

172 Registered*ongoing 2016 Call for Proposals process

External Reviewers

205 Trained young

Continued supporting capacity developmentprogrammes, including support to young scientists

researchers/scientists(under PDTW)

2008 - 2016 APN Projects: Project Leaders by Country
ARCP

113 48 81096421514129CBA214105 45 571074128 97131

7 Media Conducted South Asia Media Fellowship Programme (inviting 7Fellows journalists from 7 different countries in South Asia to visit and write(South Asia about APN’s funded research)based)

11 South Asia
Actively pursuing opportunities forcollaboration and partnership– basedorganisations
joinedSouth Asia Collaborative Workshop –Bhutan, December 2016

Continued being proactive in assisting countries
to contribute to global and regional
agreement/conventions

APN Technology
Transfer Scoping
Workshop – Kobe,
December 2016

Continued to strengthen science-policy interactions, through dialogues,
active communication, publication and outreach media
Planned activities:- Science Policy Dialogue on Low Carbon Development, Bangkok,
February 2017
- Science Policy Dialogue Series on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services(in collaboration with IPBES), 2017 - 2019

Get involved
1. APN Calls for Proposals (CRRP/CAPaBLE):– www.apn-gcr.org/call/

2. Become an external reviewer– Review proposals– Become a peer reviewer of the APN Science Bulletin

3. Become a partner in joint collaborative
activities

Thank you!
For more information: http://www.apn-gcr.org/News, announcements and global change community updates.

APN E-Lib: www.apn-gcr.org/resources
Archive of publications, project metadata and outputs ofcompleted/ongoing projects.

Contact us:
APN Secretariat, East Building 4F. 1-5-2 Wakinohama Kaigan
Dori, Chuo-ku, Kobe 651-0073, Japan. Tel: +81-78-230-8017
Fax: +81-78-230-8018; Email: info@apn-gcr.org