The activity brought together national and regional experts for two days at the University of La Serena, who addressed various topics related to the effects caused by the acceleration of climate change on water resources, soil and native vegetation in the region.

Generating a space for debate and reflection between public, private, academic and civil society actors was the objective of the seminar “Adaptation to climate change in arid and semi-arid areas”, organized by the Seremi de Agricultura of the Coquimbo Region, the Forestry Institute (INFOR), the National Forestry Corporation (CONAF), the Integrated Monitoring System for Native Forest Ecosystems (SIMEF), the College of Forestry Engineers of Chile AG (CIFAG) and the University of La Serena.

The activity carried out in the Pentagon Room of the ULS, brought together national and regional experts for two days, who addressed various topics related to the effects caused by the acceleration of climate change on water resources, soil and native vegetation in the region. .

“We wanted to make visible to the community the effects of climate change in our region and the country, for which we brought together professionals from the State's public services, universities and local civil society actors, to learn about the actions that various actors are taking. carried out in our region to better mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change,” explained the coordinator of the activity, the Deputy Manager of the Forestry Institute (INFOR) Diaguitas Headquarters, Sandra Gacitúa.

The INFOR professional highlighted that the activity made it possible to address sensitive issues for the Coquimbo Region in the climate change scenario, such as periods of drought, permanent water scarcity or inappropriate use of land.

Among the talks at the seminar, the presentation of the “National Strategy for climate change and vegetation resources”, by CONAF, stood out; “Proposals for changes in the legal and institutional frameworks to address Climate Change in Chile”, by the Center for Climate and Resilience Studies (CR2) of the University of Chile; “Water resource management in arid and semi-arid areas”, by Roberto Pizarro, from the University of Talca and “The interactions between climate change, desertification and agriculture”, among others.

For the Vice Chancellor of Economic and Administrative Affairs of the University of La Serena, Dr. Armando Mansilla, the activity became an instance of reflection and a regional call to achieve change in the region, the country and the planet. "We must be consistent in the correct use of resources and also be supportive enough to think about care strategies for the preservation of new and next generations," said the authority, who highlighted that it is necessary to understand the importance of collaborative work and interdisciplinary that is exercised in this type of seminars, because the different experiences allow for more real and in-depth work, which can anticipate or anticipate difficulties.”

Meanwhile, the Seremi of Agriculture of the Coquimbo Region, Rodrigo Órdenes, pointed out that the changes required by climate change are not the responsibility of a single actor, but of all people and institutions, public and private. “This seminar allowed us to learn about the actions that are being carried out in our region, both by local actors, research institutions and public services, experiences and knowledge that are necessary and important for us as the Ministry of Agriculture, since they generate information that “They help us focus our work and instruments for the adaptation of our users in the region to the effects of climate change,” highlighted the agricultural authority.

COP 25

The seminar was part of the regional activities leading up to COP 25, an event that will be held in our country in the month of December. In this context, the Environment Minister of the Coquimbo Region, Claudia Rivera, highlighted the initiative, since she provided context and information to the community about the role of forest ecosystems in a climate change scenario.

“An active and informed citizenry is the only way to advance adaptation and mitigation measures against climate change. We need to address climate change with citizens and all productive sectors to move towards sustainable development in Chile, low in emissions and climate resilient,” added the authority.

At the end of the meeting, the participants planted three native species on the Andrés Bello Campus, as part of the Reforesta ULS program promoted by the state institution. 

Source: INFOR