Outlook on Climate Change Adaptation in the South Caucasus Mountains

documents in Azerbaijan, the assumption is that the new programme or strategy will reflect climate change challenges in more detail. Georgia The Agriculture Development Strategy of Georgia (MoA 2015) is divided into strategic directions and measures. In the Strategic Direction: Climate Change, Environment and Biodiversity, the document envisages: • Creation of a gene bank for the conservation of agro-diversity and endemic species and thus increasing agricultural sector resilience to climate change especially in arid and semi-arid zones, and in general • Promotion of climate smart agriculture (CSA) practice in agricultural production to ensure economic and social welfare of farmers and other types of vulnerable groups. It states: “it is important to promote a Climate Smart Agriculture approach that simultaneously addresses three intertwined challenges: ensuring food security through increased productivity and income, adapting to climate change and contributing to mitigation of climate change”. This measure promotes strong coordination of action among different stakeholders, including government institutions, local authorities, NGOs and private sector representatives, to develop relevant national and municipal programmes. As well as development of capacities, introduction of relevant technologies, it envisages research to ensure increased agricultural production resilience to climate change impacts. Moreover, climate change is mainstreamed under other strategic directions and measures such as the reduction of soil degradation and desertification processes. According to the strategy to define and support rural development and investment strategies for each region, the Ministry of Agriculture shall collaborate

introduction of harvest-forecasting methodologies for different crops and climatic/altitude zones and particular communities with regard to climate change risks. In terms of financial planning, the document considers climate change and its impact on Armenia’s natural and climatic conditions. Azerbaijan The State Programme on the Reliable Food Supply of Population in the Azerbaijan Republic states that the combination of the increase in oil prices, the negative trends in the financial markets, as well as the rise in the demand for food products as a result of population increases, climate change, limited water reserves have contributed to increases in global food prices. As a result, food insecurity has risen in some countries (President of Azerbaijan 2008b). It proposes the implementation of the following actions: • Development and cultivation of agricultural plant varieties which are more resistant to the effects of drought, frost, diseases and pests • Improvement of farming methods and technologies • Improvement of irrigation methods and water use efficiencies • Reduction and elimination of the use of dangerous pesticides and fertilisers. Moreover, it proposes activities aimed at improving the efficient use of water irrigation and prevention of soil degradation to mitigate the effect of climate change. The programme also underlines that up to 40 per cent (3.4 million hectares) of the land in mountainous areas had been subject to erosion of various degrees and therefore envisages land-reclamation activities in 657 thousand hectares of the irrigated land. Considering recent climate change assessments and the commitment to address climate risks in the programme for 2008–2015 and other policy

with other entities and local authorities to draft a rural development policy, which, in turn, shall be based on local, social, economic and cultural specifications. A unified action plan shall be developed incorporating short, medium and long-term measures. Special attention shall be given to high mountain regions. Energy Energy segment development and regulation in all three countries incorporate laws and strategies on conventional and alternative/renewable energy sectors. Some of them recognise climate change as a phenomenon and promote action to mitigate climate change but none of them consider the reverse effect of climate change on renewable energy sources and/or on physical infrastructure or potential heating or cooling demand through climate change. The energy sector resilience in the South Caucasus countries is an under- researched issue and even National Communications to the UNFCCC do not cover this sufficiently. Armenia’s INDC (MoNP 2015) underlines energy sector vulnerability, both for hydro- and thermal power plants, to climate change throughmodification of hydrology regimes or glacier melting. A number of other studies and documents cover similar issues. However, as it is assumed that over a fifty-year perspective (the average lifespan of hydropower plants), no significant changes to river hydrology regimes are expected, policy makers in the energy sector do not consider adaptation as a priority issue. Therefore, no adaptation actions have been planned or implemented in this area so far. Tourism Among the three countries of the South Caucasus only Armenia has a policy related to the potential impact of climate change on the tourism sector.

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