New Pan-African Network to Share Tanzania S Experience to Help Vulnerable Communities

AfricaAdapt

PRESS RELEASE

Tanzania

Embargoed until 4th May 2009

New pan-African network to share Tanzania’s experience to help vulnerable communities reducing climate impacts

Tanzania is highly vulnerable to climate variability and change. Researchers at the Institute of Resource Assessment, University of Dares Salaam, and Sokoine University of Agriculture are carrying out studies alongside vulnerable communities such as smallholder farmers, pastoralists and fishermen to help them adapt to climate variability and change. Such experiences and research could help vulnerable communities elsewhere in Africa toadapt to climate change. AfricaAdaptis a new bilingual networkthat willensure that African knowledge on climate change adaptation is effectively gathered and shared.

Leading African organisations Environment and Development in the Third World (ENDA), Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) have teamed with the Institute of Development Studies, UK, to create AfricaAdapt.

‘AfricaAdaptis the first pan-African network dedicated to climate change adaptation. It will overcome linguistic and geographical divides ensuring that knowledge that can help vulnerable communities adapt to the changes taking place is accessible to anybody exploring responses to climate change.’ saysMr.Abebe Tadege from IGAD Climate Prediction and ApplicationCenter (ICPAC). ‘Our interactive website, our events, specialised radio broadcasts and support for innovation will facilitate the sharingof knowledge on how to reduce climate impacts from Burkina Faso with other researchers and vulnerable communities across the continent.’

AfricaAdapt is free to access and open to any individualsand organisations working on climate change adaptation in Africa. The website will be a platform connecting users according to their areas of interest and their activities. They can sign up to updates on projects, themes, and events and receive them through email, newsletters or automatic newsfeeds.

Face-to-face forums, and local radio programmes will be used to reach out to local communities and ensure that their own knowledge and experiences are shared with others working to address climate change impacts in Africa.

‘We believe African media have a key role to play in facilitating the sharing of knowledge with our communities. This is why we will work with community-based radios and seek opportunities to collaborate with journalists across the region’continues Mr. Abebe Tadege.

AfricaAdapt is funded through the UK Government Department for International Development (DFID) and the Canadian International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

Notes to editor:

For interviews please contact:
Mr. Abebe Tadege, ICPAC, Tel: +254 (0) 716223871 Email:

For a press pack please contact

Press Pack contents:

- AfricaAdapt launch press releases –International (French/English) and for African countries including Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Morocco, Tanzania, Senegal, South Africa and Uganda(French/English as appropriate)

- Africa Adapt videos (French/English) for Windows and Mac

- AfricaAdapt introductory leaflet(French/English)

Watch AfricaAdapt introductory videos

English version:

French version:

OnAfricaAdapt

AfricaAdapt is collaboratively hosted by Environment and Development in the Third World (ENDA-TM); Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA); IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC); and Institute of Development Studies (IDS). The network is funded through the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the Canadian International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Climate Change Adaptation in Africa programme.

AfricaAdapt website goes life on4th May.