Outlook on climate change adaptation in the Tropical Andes mountains

needs rather than specific ecosystems or territories, except perhaps in the case of Amazonian forests (e.g. Peruvian Forest Law). However, a similar trajectory to the Amazonian forests may be initiated just for glaciers and mountain environments: for instance, Ecuador is integrating weather stations’ monitoring of páramos and glaciers into the national network of weather stations. 3 The main findings of this chapter are: • Adaptation is gaining importance within countries’ priorities. All countries have national policy instruments in one form or another (e.g. national strategy or a plan for climate change adaptation; or joint mechanisms for adaptation and mitigation in the forest sector in the case of Bolivia), although the means for implementing adaptation programmes and measures are still beingdeveloped.All countrieshave submitted their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) to the UNFCCC. In generally, funding remains insufficient and adaptation targets and implementation tools are general and vague. • The rising recognition of adaptation in policymaking is hindered by weak or non-binding international agreements and the lack of attention given to environmental issues in supra-national organizations. • Mainstreaming adaptation policies across sectors and from national to local levels is an ongoing but slow process. • Institutions from an increasing number of sectors

Farmers, Paramo El Zumbador mountains, Venezuela

are articulating policies around adaptation to climate change. • Mountains are rarely treated as a specified target of adaptation policies. • Ecosystem services provided by mountain ecosystems, such as wetlands, grasslands and tropical mountain forests, are both essential to people and threatened by climate change, and measures such as ecosystem-based adaptation measures which are designed and implemented in a participatory process to address specific issues in mountain communities could be further pursued.

• Although many sectoral policies do not explicitly focus on adaptation to climate change in mountains, they often address broader issues that influence mountain adaptation. These policies may be opportunities to include adaptation measures when explicit mountain adaptation policies are lacking. • Gender and ethnic inequalities are insufficiently addressed by adaptation policy. Recognizing the contributions of women and indigenous people to adaptation to climate change may encourage policymakers to address discrimination.

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