A systematic analysis of enabling conditions for synergy between climate change mitigation and adaptation measures in developing countries

AbstractThere is a growing quest for synergy between mitigation and adaptation due to concerns of inefficiency and ineffectiveness of the compartmentalized approaches to climate change. However, little has been done to explore the necessary enabling conditions for synergistic design and implementation. This paper proposes an analytical framework to assess enabling conditions for synergies at the national level and applies it to developing countries to explore the potential move toward synergy. Four enabling conditions for integrating adaptation and mitigation, i.e. policies and strategies, programs and projects, institutional arrangements and financial mechanisms, were used to score developing countries relative to each other. We hypothesized that low income and vulnerable countries might more likely pursue synergy given the urgency for both adaptation and mitigation. Despite the relative infancy of the synergy concept, about half of countries studied exhibited good synergy potential, 80% of which were middle-income developing countries. The assumption of vulnerability as a precursor for pursuing synergy was supported by the fact that small island states possessed relatively high synergy potential. Income was weakly associated with the synergy potential with least developed countries having low synergy scores. Emerging economies possessed strong synergy potential which might be associated with better capacity available and/or potential for shaping their global images due to their growing emissions. In sum, the proposed analytical framework could be useful to identify areas of emphasis to promote holistic and efficient climate policies. As this study largely focused on the enabling conditions, further studies are needed to scrutinize and manage the mitigation-adaptation balances in countries possessing good synergy potentials

Global wild rice germplasm resources conservation alliance: World Wild-Rice Wiring

Comment Wild relatives of crop are key genetic resources serving as diversity reservoirs for crop improvement under changing environments. Rice (Oryza sativa) is one of the most important crops in the world, providing staple food for half of the world’s population. Wild rice is thus a critical germplasm resource for sustained global food security, ensuring high production yields, improved quality, and stress resistance in the face of climate change. Wild rice is closely related to domesticated rice and has a rich genetic diversity and exceptional adaptability to extreme environments. It has played a pivotal role in the history of rice hybridization and has become a key resource for rice breeding programs. The identification of wild-type cytoplasmic male sterility resources paved the way for the achievement of the ‘‘three lines’’ goal in hybrid rice, leading to a significant increase in rice yields. In addition, the use of resistance alleles found in wild rice is making rice production more resilient to losses caused by environmental stresses. However, wild rice germplasm resources are threatened due to habitat destruction and other anthropogenic factors. At the same time, the lack of centralized distribution of wild rice has hampered the sharing of basic information on wild rice resources and the utilization and conservation of wild rice in each country, as well as collaboration among scientists

A Panel of Polymorphic Bovine, Ovine and Caprine Microsatellite Markers

A panel of 81 new polymorphic bovine microsatellite markers is described, together with further information on a previously reported group of 16 markers. The mean polymorphism information content of the 97 markers determined in 20 cattle was 0.66. Seventythree of these markers have been assigned to chromosomes by either linkage analysis or use of hybrid cell panels. Thirty‐nine of the markers were polymorphic in sheep, and 32 were polymorphic in goat. This study identified a set of 18 robust markers that were polymorphic in all three species and that covered 14 bovine chromosomes. This provides a single group of markers, which would be suited to genetic distance analysis and parentage control in cattle, sheep and goat

A panel of polymorphic bovine, ovine and caprine microsatellite markers

A panel of 81 new polymorphic bovine microsatellite markers is described, together with further information on a previously reported group of 16 markers. The mean polymorphism information content of the 97 markers determined in 20 cattle was 0.66. Seventy-three of these markers have been assigned to chromosomes by either linkage analysis or use of hybrid cell panels. Thirty-nine of the markers were polymorphic in sheep, and 32 were polymorphic in goat. This study identified a set of 18 robust markers that were polymorphic in all three species and that covered 14 bovine chromosomes. This provides a single group of markers, which would be suited to genetic distance analysis and parentage control in cattle, sheep and goat