New Climate Change Centre launched
2012/04/19
On 18 April 2012 Southern African countries agreed to launch a centre that links climate change studies across the region.
Countries that signed the declaration in Windhoek for the establishment of the Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management were South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Zambia and Namibia.
Germany helped setup the research centre with a donation of €50m with the intent of creating a more efficient managing of natural resources.
Commenting at the launch, Zambian science minister John Phiri said: "This initiative will bring knowledge, data, information and services generated by our own scientists with support of their colleagues from Germany”.
The focus of the research will be on forests, water resources, wildlife and agriculture.
"We want to define the priority areas where knowledge is needed to adapt to climate change and to mitigate its effects, to provide sound recommendations freely available to all interested parties," said German science minister Annette Schavan, who also attended the opening.
