The Andean Glacier and Water Atlas

Policy recommendations

Increase support for science-based policy decisions

Implement preventive measures for natural hazards related to glaciers

The interaction between science and policy is often weak and hampered by the definition of common goals and objectives. Joint problem framing and more effective interaction between social and physical climate and impact sciences is needed. Grounding policy in science will help to effectively allocate resources to address the environmental challenges caused by climate change in the Andes and the associated threat to lives and livelihood. There is a particular need to consider local and indigenous knowledge systems as a valuable source of information for sustainable management of fragile mountain ecosystems. By ensuring that traditional knowledge and sciences co-produce information for policymaking, enables these livelihoods to address the challenges posed by climate change impacts. Bottom-up and top-down approaches have the opportunity to meet and create a stronger outcome (Huggel et al. 2015). Many aspects of future climate change remain highly uncertain, due to old and inadequate climatic and glaciological monitoring networks. Improved data-gathering infrastructure is needed to monitor climate change at the elevation of the glacier, including a network of automated weather stations at high elevations and improved on-site monitoring. Equally, better inclusion of these data with advanced remote sensing and geographic information system applications is urgently required. On the modelling front, more detailed climate change projections, relying on a variety of models and several different emissions scenarios are needed, particularly considering that climate change impacts are disproportionately high in mountains. Map the current and projected impacts of climate change on Andean glaciers

For risks from Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), adaptation measures should focus on implementation of preventive measures, including for example creating hazard maps, regulating building codes and land use planning, and creating early warning systems, complemented by comprehensive education and awareness programmes (Vuille et al. 2018).

Develop climate services

There is a need for targeted climate services for water resources management, to ensure that monitoring and early warning information reaches the water users in an appropriate format and timing. This requires a better understanding of the real needs of local stakeholders, based upon a bottom-up assessment of water security vulnerabilities, in order to tailor specific climate services to inform current and future hazards. The penetration of cell phones and smart phones in even the most remote locations provides a novel pathway for dissemination to and interaction with local water users. Recognising that water usage is impacted by societal forces and trends, further in-depth research and understanding is needed of water demand and use trends. Population dynamics, urbanisation, changing consumer patterns, demands for certain goods within international markets and the development trajectories of different sectors, including agriculture, mining and hydropower all influence water usage. Furthermore, water auditing and efficiency tools should be applied to each sector to determine where water conservation measures can be made. With the irreversible loss of many glaciers that will occur in the Andes, irrespective of any current or future mitigation, scenario development/planning should be undertaken for water resource management in order to anticipate and deal with future uncertainty and scarcity. Increase understanding of water demand and use – now and in the future

Implement good water governance

The importance of water governance should be recognized at the highest level of decision-making. Integrated water resource management (IWRM) approaches should continue to be developed across the Andes countries, while integrating new information about projected climate impacts and trends.

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