Current activities

Finding local partners & contacts with governments

TroFCCA staff has met with potential partners and collaborators in Mali Burkina Faso and Ghana including the UNFCCC Focal point for each country. These trips provided the opportunity to talk to people across various sectors of the community like universities, national and international research institutions, government departments and non-governmental organizations whose interests and activities relate to climate change adaptation. Traveling by road also provided the chance of familiarizing with the variability in landscape and forest types, and a first hand appraisal of local, national and trans-boundary forest resource activities relevant to adaptation.

Compilation of a database of local, national and regional actors of climate change adaptation-related activities in the region, to be available soon.

Identifying participants for the regional Kickoff meeting

We plan to constitute a list of both sponsored and invited participants to the regional kickoff meeting in May/June 2006 after visiting all the three countries involved in the region.

Definition of regional research focus

Identifying key research areas and topics that would address site-specific, national and regional priorities along the wide range of forest types on the existing precipitation gradient in the region. Student projects would also be encouraged in evaluating natural resource flow across national boundaries, and seek ways in facilitating regional corporations and initiatives in enhancing adaptation to climate change.

Maintaining regular contacts with local partners and governments

Contacts have already been established with local partners in Ghana, Burkina Faso and Mali. This collaborative process will go on as TroFCCA continues with its policy dialogue.

Testing of the methods for vulnerability assessment of the development sectors identified by stakeholders

TroFCCA West Africa is in the process of testing the elaborated method for each of the selected sectors of the forest ecosystem namely; water, bioenergy (with particular focus on fuelwood and charcoal), and non timber forest products of food and heath care services. These assessments will combine both biophysical and socio economic measurements including an initial projection of climate change in the region. Graduate students and consultants from the region are involved in the process.

Screening for adaptation

The identification and analyses of all available adaptation strategies including existing indigenous coping practices especially in response to climate variability and change in the region, are being documented. There is also the selection of criteria and indicators for adaptive management with the classification of possible response options using expert judgments of the concerned sectors taking in account the interest of the society and the local response strategy to the identified vulnerability.

Elaborating procedures for mainstreaming adaptation into policy

This entails analyses of existing policies, networks and stakeholders, elucidating and developing strategies and mechanisms to facilitate science-policy dialogue aimed at ensuring the participation of the various stakeholders, and assisting policy formulation, implementation and enforcement. The outcome of the process will also guide the simplification of scientific products from TroFCCA for better communication with policymakers.