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The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) was established in 1992 following the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development to conduct multinational collaborative research on global environmental change in the Americas. Its mission is to advance scientific understanding of these phenomena and their socioeconomic implications to support policy-makers in member countries. The IAI's Science Agenda focuses on two primary themes: understanding climate change and variability, and conducting comparative studies of ecosystems, biodiversity, land use, and water resources.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) is an intergovernmental entity established in 1992 to improve the understanding of global environmental change and its socioeconomic implications in the Americas. It provides scientific information to policymakers in its 19 member countries to support the development of adaptation plans. The IAI's scientific agenda focuses on climate variability, regional climate change, and comparative studies of ecosystems, biodiversity, and water resources across tropical, temperate, and cold latitudes.

The document examines the critical state of biodiversity in Latin America and the Caribbean, highlighting threats such as 'empty forest syndrome,' gold mining in the Amazon, and the impact of global commodity trade. It emphasizes the vital role of ecosystem services—such as water regulation in Andean páramos and soil health for agriculture—and argues for a shift from an extractivist logic to an inclusive conservation model that integrates indigenous knowledge and territorial rights. The text also explores the nexus between biodiversity and human health, the potential of a sustainable blue economy, and the risks associated with the 'green extractivism' of lithium mining for the energy transition.

The document outlines the establishment and operational framework of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), a regional network designed to coordinate global change research across the Americas. It details a seven-theme science agenda, a distributed research architecture based on 'Research Consortia' and 'Research Centers', and a governance structure comprising a Conference of the Parties, an Executive Council, and a Scientific Advisory Committee. The report proposes a funding model split into Program, Project, and Core funds and provides a detailed agenda for the inaugural meeting of the Conference of the Parties to finalize the Institute's leadership and headquarters.

This briefing document from the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) Directorate lists four seed projects utilizing transdisciplinary approaches to address socio-economic environmental themes through networks of scientists, policy makers, and decision makers.

The briefing outlines the logistical arrangements for the IAI's 33rd Conference of the Parties (CoP-33), scheduled for May 29-30, 2025, in Asunción, Paraguay. It details the venue at the Hotel Crowne Plaza, transportation via Silvio Pettirossi International Airport, and accommodation and meal provisions for delegates. Additionally, it provides essential travel information regarding Paraguayan currency, climate, migration requirements, visa exemptions for most American and European countries, and mandatory yellow fever vaccinations for travelers from specific risk zones in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru.

The document is a contact list of government officials, researchers, and agency directors from across the Americas, including representatives from ministries of science, technology, and environment. It lists specific individuals and their contact details for countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the United States, and Uruguay, while noting that official designations are still needed for Bolivia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Venezuela.

The MAP-FIRE project focuses on the 'MAP region' (Madre de Dios in Peru, Acre in Brazil, and Pando in Bolivia) to address increasing vulnerability to droughts and wildfires. The project found that drought-induced fire emissions are often excluded from national carbon inventories and that gross emissions from wildfires can exceed 50% of primary forest deforestation during drought years. In Acre, Brazil, economic losses from forest fires between 2008 and 2012 were estimated at US$ 307.46 ± 85.41 million, representing 9.07 ± 2.46% of the state's GDP. To mitigate these risks, the project co-developed monitoring platforms for fire occurrence and air quality, which have since influenced the installation of air quality sensor networks across all Brazilian Amazonian states and informed a new project in the Pantanal region. The initiative also produced 10 technical reports and 34 collaborative events to integrate fire risk knowledge into school curricula and decision-making processes.

The document outlines multiple IAI-funded research projects focusing on environmental and social vulnerabilities in the Americas. Key initiatives include the study of nitrogen cycling and wastewater treatment in Latin America, the conservation of tropical dry forests, the provision of climate services for agriculture in southeastern South America, and the assessment of freshwater ecosystem risks. Other projects examine the link between land use and malaria in the Amazon, water security in arid regions, the role of phytoplankton in carbon sequestration, the impact of transcontinental highways on zoonotic disease risk in Peru, and urban hydrological vulnerability in Mexico City.

The MAP-FIRE project focuses on the 'MAP region' (Madre de Dios, Acre, and Pando) to address the increasing risk of extensive forest fires in the Amazon. The project has quantified the socio-environmental impacts of fire, developed near-real-time monitoring platforms for fire and air quality, and produced technical reports to assist decision-makers. Key findings highlight that drought-induced fire emissions are often omitted from national carbon inventories and that forest fires caused significant economic losses in Acre, Brazil, between 2008 and 2012.

The project addresses the lack of long-term climate data in the tropical Andes by combining dendrochronology, improved hydrometeorological networks, in-situ digital sensors, and global circulation models. These diverse data streams—including tree-ring chronologies spanning 100 to 200 years and simulations for 2011-2030 and 2045-2065—are integrated to reduce uncertainty in climate projections and inform the NatureServe vulnerability index for conservation management.

The provided text is a directory of the professional team and collaborators for a project titled 'Impactos del cambio climático en la biodiversidad de los Andes tropicales: Riesgo climático, vulnerabilidad y herramientas de toma de decisiones para la planificación de la conservación'. It details the names, institutional affiliations, and areas of expertise for the steering committee and various research groups specializing in climate, biodiversity (botany, entomology, and ornithology), land use, and local perceptions. The team includes experts from institutions in Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, the United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, Mexico, and Canada.

The IAI's STeP Pilot Fellowship program aims to equip scientists and policymakers in Latin America and the Caribbean with skills in science diplomacy, communication, and leadership. The program focuses on creating a common language between scientific and policy communities through a two-year professional development curriculum and the establishment of an Inter-American network for knowledge exchange and multinational collaboration.

The IAI STeP Fellowship Pilot Program (2020-2024) provides a professional development framework for scientists and policymakers in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The program is structured around three training pillars: Science Diplomacy, Communication, and Leadership. It aims to equip fellows with the soft skills and transdisciplinary approaches necessary to inform policy on global change and sustainable development. The plan includes specific learning objectives, such as writing policy briefs and mastering science diplomacy, and establishes a networking strategy to foster multinational collaboration and create an alumni impact database.

The STeP fellowship is a two-year professional development program for early-career scientists and policymakers in the Americas. It focuses on three training pillars—Scientific Diplomacy, Communication, and Leadership—to bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and policy-making. The program fosters an Inter-American Network of fellows, mentors, and institutions to address global environmental change and sustainable development.

The ANDEX program, established in 2018 under the GEWEX and WCRP frameworks, aims to strengthen the resilience of Andean societies by improving hydroclimatic research and forecasting. The program focuses on two primary challenges: improving water security for approximately 90 million people and reducing risks from high-impact hydroclimatic events. To achieve this, ANDEX promotes regional cooperation among scientists from seven Andean countries to address issues such as glacial retreat, deforestation, and weak monitoring networks, ultimately providing evidence-based tools for decision-makers to support sustainable development.

The document outlines the objectives of ANDEX (Regional Hydroclimatic Program for the Andes), an initiative under the GEWEX and WCRP frameworks. It identifies critical threats to the Andean region, including climate change, deforestation, and land-use changes, which jeopardize the water and food security of approximately 90 million people. ANDEX aims to bridge the gap between the scientific community and operational services to improve hydro-meteorological monitoring and forecasting. The program focuses on two primary goals: improving water security for Andean populations and reducing risks from high-impact hydroclimatic events through evidence-based tools and regional cooperation.

The document outlines a transdisciplinary approach to mapping and mitigating health vulnerabilities in Peru's Amazonian regions, specifically focusing on dengue and diarrhea. It highlights the creation of a Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) and the implementation of community-led prevention strategies, emphasizing that health adaptation requires intersectoral responses to address deficits in water, sanitation, and waste management.

The document identifies that health vulnerability in the Peruvian Amazon is multidimensional, driven by social, environmental, and institutional factors. It highlights that the climate crisis exacerbates existing risks, particularly for pregnant women, children, and the elderly, while structural failures in water, sanitation, and waste management are critical drivers of disease transmission. To address this, the project developed a Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (IVM) and territorial maps to inform intersectoral action plans and community-led prevention strategies, emphasizing the importance of youth participation and cross-border cooperation in border regions.

The document outlines twelve projects (SG-CEH-01 to SG-CEH-12) focused on the climate-environment-health nexus. Key research areas include the expansion of dengue and diarrheal diseases in Peru, Argentina, Colombia, and Cuba; the impact of extreme heat on older adults and urban populations in Mexico City, Buenos Aires, and Chile; and the effects of climate change on nutrition and agroecology in Bolivia and Uruguay. The projects emphasize the need for intersectoral coordination, community participation, and the integration of climate data into public health surveillance and urban planning to build resilience against climate-driven health risks.