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

The IAI report for 2011-2012 details the conclusion of the Second Collaborative Research Network (CRNII) and the Small Grants Program for Human Dimensions (SGP-HD), highlighting their roles in enhancing regional scientific capacity and interdisciplinary research. Key research findings focus on land-use change and carbon emissions in the La Plata basin, biodiversity risks in the tropical Andes, and the role of the Patagonian shelf in global CO2 balance. The report also outlines new funding awards for 2012-2018 and capacity-building initiatives in climate health and water management. However, it documents severe operational instability in Brazil, including staffing contract irregularities and unresolved tax disputes involving the Brazilian Revenue Service.

• The Second Collaborative Research Network (CRNII) from 2005-2012 involved 180 investigators across 18 countries and 97 institutions, leveraging approximately 27.6 million USD in total funding, including 10.324 million USD from the US National Science Foundation.
• In the La Plata basin, the expansion of industrial-scale soybean production, driven by market signals and increased rainfall, has led to decreased soil and vegetation carbon stocks, increased carbon emissions, and higher flooding risks in the Pampas and Chaco plains.
• Lifecycle assessments indicate that corn ethanol produced on new agricultural lands only achieves a positive carbon offset after approximately 50 years due to carbon losses from the soil during land conversion.
• Research on the Patagonian shelf suggests it may have a unique role in the global CO2 balance because its carbon sequestration and nutrient supply are driven by permanent upwelling from ocean currents rather than seasonal winds.
• The Small Grants Program for Human Dimensions (SGP-HD) demonstrated that natural science data alone is insufficient for developing societal adaptive capacities; it successfully linked human dimensions to natural science, leading to the creation of a Center of Excellence on Water Security.
• The IAI is implementing a project funded by the MacArthur Foundation to provide Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru with a standard methodology for estimating local-scale climate change risks for biodiversity using case studies and the NatureServe Climate Change Vulnerability Index.
• The IAI Directorate faces significant operational instability in Brazil, characterized by irregular staff contracting, repeated layoffs and re-hirings, and a dispute with the Brazilian Revenue Service involving approximately 300,000 USD in demanded back taxes and fines for taxes already 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} }