Please note that this session was withdrawn and is no longer available in the respective programme. This withdrawal might have been the result of a merge with another session.
HS4.9 | From useful to used climate services: Benefits and challenges of integration of local knowledge in early warning
From useful to used climate services: Benefits and challenges of integration of local knowledge in early warning
Convener: Robert Sakic Trogrlic | Co-conveners: Micha Werner, Thirze HermansECSECS, Marc van den Homberg, Cosmo Ngongondo
Climate services have a well-recognised potential for empowering decision makers in taking climate-smart decisions, through the provision of climate-relevant information at sub-seasonal to seasonal scales, such as available water resources over the coming season, early warning of drought and water scarcity, and/or longer-term climate projections. Recent decades have seen significant advances in the science that underpins information provided in climate services, but despite these, crossing the last-mile in early warning is challenging, and barriers remain to actual uptake and use. These barriers include the lack of understanding of end-user needs and the options they have to respond; limited understanding of the decision-making processes of users, and a poor recognition of the local knowledge they hold and the role it can play in the provision and uptake of climate services. Research shows, however, that the users climate services intend to serve often have a well-developed knowledge of the climate systems and environment around them based on their observation and long-lasting experience. The integration of local knowledge within climate services co-design and co-delivery can help establish services that are credible, salient and legitimate, leading to improved uptake and use. However, this integration in practice remains scarce.
This session addresses grounded research that advances the integration and combination of local and scientific knowledges in climate services, in particular those that provide early warning to drought and water scarcity, and advance information on water availability to support water resources management decisions across a range of sectors such as water allocation, crop planning, (hydropower) reservoir operations etc. We particularly invite contributions that report and reflect on action-based research, involving multi-disciplinary research developed in close engagement with local stakeholders and communities.
We aim to bring together scientists from across disciplines, including physical sciences, social and behavioural sciences, and scientists from the humanities; practitioners in climate services co-design and co-delivery, and climate services users and providers. We encourage presentations that have had demonstrable impacts through improved uptake of advance warning of water scarcity and drought, leading to better preparedness for droughts and water scarcity, and better adaptation.