This U.S.-Peru award will support a workshop focused on the recession of tropical glaciers in an era of global climate change and the subsequent impacts on water resources such changes will have for vulnerable segments of society. The workshop will be held in July 2009 in Lima and Huarez, Peru, and will be co-funded by USAID as part of the NSF-USAID MOU. Organized by Dr. Robert Rhodes of the University of Georgia in collaboration with Dr. Jorge Recharte from the Andeans Program of the Mountain Institute in Peru, the workshop will focus on (a) the importance of water resources management for long-range planning and climate change adaptation, (b) how changes could affect those aspects of life in the mountains that depend on glaciers for sustenance, and (c) the identification of priority research, collaboration, and pilot project initiatives. Furthermore, USAID/Peru will provide grants for implementation of high-priority projects identified in the workshop. Additionally, CONCYTEC, Peru?s National Science Council, will channel results of the conference to national research policies and actions.
The workshop will bring together a diverse community of researchers, graduate students, practioners, and policy makers from the United States and Peru as well as Bolivia, Ecuador, France, Nepal, Netherlands, and Pakistan. Outcomes from the workshop will lead to new insights regarding systems that increase downstream awareness for climate change in mountain regions. Additionally, new interdisciplinary research and field projects of interest to NSF, USAID, and the participating countries will be an outcome of this workshop.
