Abstract

Fragile ecosystems, rapidly retreating glaciers, threatened
water resources, extreme events and disasters in harsh environments, as well as demanding livelihood conditions make mountain regions particularly vulnerable to ongoing climate change. For many developing countries adequate response and short- to long-term adaptation strategies to climate change will be the big challenges over the coming decades. However, overcoming these challenges will also be fundamental to the future existence of many societies in mountain regions. The Andes in Peru is expected to
be seriously affected by climate change.2 The Swiss and Peruvian governments have therefore joined forces – through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Ministry of Environment, respectively – to improve the scientific baseline for climate change adaptation, and to implement an adaptation programme in the Cusco and Apurímac regions of the Peruvian Andes. The Programa de Adaptación al Cambio Climático (PACC) was initiated in 2008 and is implemented by a non-governmental organization consortium
including Intercooperation, Predes and Libélula. The programme is also supported by Peruvian and Swiss scientific institutions. The Swiss consortium is led by the University of Zurich and includes: Meteoswiss; Meteodat; Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon ART; the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL-SLF; and the University of Geneva.