The Coordination between Ibero-American Networks on Water, Weather, and Climate Change

In the Iberoamerican context there are three well established networks that bring together at responsibles on water, weather and climate change sectors, respectively the Conference of Iberoamerican Directors of Water (CODIA), the Conference of the Directors of Iberoamerican NMHSs (CIMHET) and the Iberoamerican Network of Climate Change Offices (RIOCC), constituting forums for discussion, exchange of experiences and development of sectorial activities, covering all Iberoamerican countries (including Spain, Portugal and Andorra).

Taking advantage of the common language and cultural heritage, and due to the common interest on different topics, the coordination between networks has great potential to carry out join strategies and activities, mainly related with management and prevention of extreme hydrometeorological events and adaptation measures for the climate change effects.

Intersectorial workshops are being held between networks, which have planned a series of activities of common interest between these three sectors, such as: Development of Regional Virtual Prediction Centers for Adverse Hydrometeorological Phenomena; Generation of Downscaling Climate Change Scenarios for different regions, including the recovery of climate data; Design of projects to strengthen the NMHSs for better service provision; Economic evaluation of the impacts of severe hydrometeorological events; Development of tools to integrate climate change adaptation in risk management of extreme hydrometeorological events.

Related with this priorities, different projects are being carried out by CIMHET, like the implementation of a Central America Lightning Detection Network (august 2019), the development of Downscalig Central America Climate Change Scenarios, expected to be available in December 2019, oriented to determine the future impacts on different sectors, mainly related with water management, or the project for the strenghten of INAMHI of Ecuador to supply the meteorological products and services demanded by society.

To support this activities, there is also the active participation of other institutions such as the Spanish International Cooperation Agencies (AECID and FIIAPP) or the WMO.