Outlook on Climate Change Adaptation in the South Caucasus Mountains

being reported. Nevertheless, adaptation to climate change at local levels is facing some barriers, such as a lack of relevant knowledge and capacity, as well as significant lack of financial and human resources and absence of adequate overall supporting policy instruments. In addition, the current system of self- governance decentralisation and statutory functions limitations does not allow much opportunity to take strengthened action on climate change at the local, municipal level. As general awareness of climate change issues continues to grow and climate change impacts are recognized as a threat by the general public, the opportunity for adaptation increases. There is more information available than ever on climate change projections. However, sound knowledge- based decisions, access to information and public participation are still lacking in the region. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, monitoring activities have been hindered in the countries of the South Caucasus due to cutting down of the observation network. This creates challenges of acquiring accurate and reliable data for projections of climate change and its impacts on economic sectors and ecosystems. Investment in applied research and collection of data, such as about glacier mass balance, water runoff, vulnerability of economic sectors and impacts on ecosystems services would also increase understanding of future challenges and allow evidence based decision- making. Therefore, certain measures should be undertaken to improve data access and management, e.g. establishing comprehensive climate exposure and sensitivity indicators. Moreover, building the foundation for an information exchange platform at the sub-regional level would support enhancement

of national capacity in data management, particularly in cases of shared ecosystems, such as the Caucasus mountain ecoregion. Ministries of environment in all three countries are the designated authorities on climate change matters. They host UNFCCC focal points as well as the focal points for climate change financial instruments such as the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The insufficient designated national coordination mechanisms for involving other relevant institutions, however, makes it challenging for countries to design a coherent approach to climate change adaptation. Also, human and technical capacities are limited to cover needs for action. In addition, climate change can compete financially or thematically with other national priorities, such as social concerns or diversifying the national economies. To overcome these limitations, use of certain mechanisms for technical and financial assistance that are provided through the global mechanisms, e.g. the Climate Technology Centre & Network (CTCN), GCF and the Global Environment Facility (GEF), would allow for enhanced action towards climate change adaptation. A final challenge for all three countries is to prioritize mountain regions in national policy and strategies and to design targeted actions to increase resilience of mountain ecosystems and mountain communities to climate change. Enhancedmonitoring and evaluation of various measures and activities undertaken would greatly serve as a strengthened approach towards climate change and adaptation.

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