IAI Directorate Report to the twentieth Conference of the Parties, 2012

The IAI Directorate Report (2011-2012) details the conclusion of the Second Collaborative Research Network (CRNII) and Small Grants Program for Human Dimensions (SGP-HD), the launch of new NSF-funded awards, and capacity-building initiatives across Latin America. It highlights research on land-use change in the La Plata basin, biodiversity in the tropical Andes, and the challenges of integrating natural and human sciences for policy. The report also documents significant operational difficulties in Brazil regarding staff contracting and taxation.

• The Second Collaborative Research Network (CRNII), spanning 2005-2012, involved 180 investigators from 97 institutions across 18 countries. The program leveraged approximately 27.6 million USD in total funding, with 10.324 million USD provided by the US National Science Foundation. Its outputs included 273 peer-reviewed journal articles and 72 books or book chapters, while supporting 1,510 degree students.
• Research in the La Plata basin indicates that industrial-scale soybean production, driven by international feed markets and increased rainfall, has led to several collateral effects. These include increased carbon emissions due to decreases in soil and vegetation carbon stocks, migration to urban areas resulting from changes in agricultural production structures, and a higher risk of flooding in the Pampas and Chaco plains.
• The Small Grants Program for Human Dimensions (SGP-HD), which ran from 2006-2011, aimed to integrate social perspectives with natural sciences. It demonstrated that neither discipline alone is sufficient to develop societal adaptive capacities under global change. A key outcome was the establishment of a Center of Excellence on Water Security to serve as a think tank linking natural and human sciences with policy and management.
• A project funded by the MacArthur Foundation is developing a standard methodology for estimating climate change risks for biodiversity in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The project utilizes numerical models, weather station data, and dendrochronological analysis of tree rings to estimate climate conditions over the past 200 years, alongside the NatureServe Climate Change Vulnerability Index to evaluate species sensitivity.
• The IAI has launched two new NSF awards for 2012-2018: the Small Grants for Collaborative Research in the Americas (SGP-CRA), providing 2,757,237 USD for 9 projects across 17 countries, and the Third Round of Collaborative Research Network Program (CRN3), with 10.5 million USD for 8-10 projects focused on global change and societal implications.
• The IAI Directorate faces severe operational instability in Brazil, characterized by irregular staff contracting and unresolved taxation disputes. Staff have experienced late salary payments and payroll errors, and the Brazilian Revenue Service has demanded approximately 300,000 USD in back taxes and fines for taxes that the IAI asserts have already been paid.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2012). IAI Directorate Report to the twentieth Conference of the Parties, 2012. https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-20-directorate-report-e.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. IAI Directorate Report to the twentieth Conference of the Parties, 2012. 2012. https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-20-directorate-report-e.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=IAI Directorate Report to the twentieth Conference of the Parties, 2012 |date=2012 |url=https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-20-directorate-report-e.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2012iai, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{IAI Directorate Report to the twentieth Conference of the Parties, 2012}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2012}, url = {https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-20-directorate-report-e.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }