BE/CNH: Climate and Land Use Change Processes in East Africa

Michigan State University, East Lansing MI

Investigators

Abstract

This planning grant supports activities that will lead to a full research proposal on the interactions between land use change, land cover change, and climate change at the regional scale in East Africa. Plans include a workshop in East Africa, concept development for modeling, and a concept paper. The grant will enable team members from the U.S., Africa, and the U.K. to collaborate effectively in these activities and to establish modalities for collaborative preparation of the full proposal and implementation of the research project. Foreign partner institutions include the University of East Anglia, U.K., and the International Livestock Research Institute, located in Nairobi, Kenya. The research proposes application of methods, models, and analytical frameworks used in Climate Change analysis and Land Use/Cover Change studies for integrated assessment of climate and its interactions with land use. The scientific focus will be on examination of the linkages between climate and land-use change, between land-use change and land-cover change, and between land-cover change and regional climate modeling. Important issues fundamental to an understanding of these linkages include interactions between spational and temporal scales, indirect and non-linear affects, and uncertainty and complexity. A more effective understanding of these linkages will have societal benefits under climate change, providing guidance for land and resource managers in East Africa and elsehwere. The project will facilitate development of international interdisciplinary collaborations, with education and training opportunities for U.S. and African graduate students. This project is an award emanating from the FY 2001 special competition in Biocomplexity in the Environment focusing on the Dynamics of Coupled Natural and Human Systems. ***