• Environmental Risk Management

Environmental management has always been and will likely always be characterized by decision making under conditions of uncertainty.  Experience and research indicate that effective management requires a new kind of collaboration between scientists and decision makers or managers, one which assumes a continuous, two-way flow of information and periodic evaluations and policy adjustments based on new insights that are gained from the field. We seek to develop capacity to assess vulnerability and to explore options for enhancing the resilience of governments, communities, businesses and natural resources in the region; exploring the environmental, economic and societal consequences of changes in the availability of freshwater and other resources; and the roles of institutions and information systems in improving the region’s risk management capabilities. Countries in the Asia Pacific region urgently need to analyze the options, risks and uncertainties in mitigating and adapting to environmental change and variability.