SciDev.Net

This site provides access to a suite of climate related observations, projections and predictions for the African continent. Of particular interest are the up-to-date seasonal predictions and the African monsoon bulletin. There is also a searchable archive of climate data and research activities detailed in French. ACMAD also offers 'on the job training' in climatology. The website is also available in French.

The AMMA programme aims to study how the West African monsoon affects meningitis and malaria epidemics. While it focuses on one weather system, the climate factors it looks at can be generalised to other environments. For example, it examines how wind, dust, rainfall, temperature and humidity, amongst others, affect mosquito density and malaria or meningitis epidemics in people. The website also offers a key resource for researchers in the form of an open-access bibliographic database containing more than 250 scientific articles.

The Amazonas Sustainable Foundation (FAS) plays an important role in reducing deforestation in the Amazon Region. FAS manages the Juma reserve, established by the Government of Amazonas in 2006, and runs the Bolsa Floresta programme that pays families and communities to contribute to sustainable forest management. The FAS website provides an introduction to the organisation, an overview of their programmes and links to relevant related documents.

ASB is a global partnership for research on tropical forest margins that operates as part of the Consultative Group for International Research in Agriculture (CGIAR). By including a broad range of stakeholders, ASB identifies and develops policies and practices that can achieve their vision of prosperous people and flourishing forests across the tropics. It publishes information on its work, policy briefs and working group reports.

With its headquarters in Indonesia, CIFOR conducts collaborative research with partners in over 40 countries to inform policies and practices that affect forests in developing countries. The website provides a thorough introduction to CIFOR research including an overview of regions covered by the centre and access to publications including journal articles, working papers and info briefs. Activities are arranged into three programmes covering environmental services and sustainable use of forests, forest governance, and forests and livelihoods.

CHIEX investigates how climate variability affects human health in the tropical Americas. It runs projects in Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico and Venezuela, and focuses specifically on the spread of dengue fever and malaria in these countries. These projects have practical implications; for example, a study in Cuba led to the development of a "bioclimatological" monitoring system that uses climatic predictions to prevent and control disease.

The Global Canopy Programme (GCP) is an alliance of over 30 scientific institutions in 19 countries that work on forest canopy research, education and conservation. In addition to supporting research projects, GCP is active in informing policymakers and working with governments and the finance sector to establish pilot projects for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD). GCP publishes information for journalists, policy briefs and a range of related publications.

This non-profit organisation aims to develop sustainable ecological farming in Africa and India. ICRISAT's mission is "to help empower 600 million poor people to overcome hunger, poverty and a degraded environment in the dry tropics through better agriculture".

ICRISAT's BioPower initiative aims to ensure that bioenergy research benefits the poor. Its activities include analysing bioenergy trends and understanding their repercussions for the poor, and enabling governments to formulate pro-bioenergy policies that benefit poor people.

This site is maintained by the Kenya Meteorological Department and contains short term weather forecasts, seasonal forecasts, and agro-meteorological data.  Other climatological data is available from the website upon request.

This LSHTM centre collaborates on projects with the WHO and is the hub for several projects on the health effects of climate change. There is little in the way of background information but the site distils the key points and offers summaries of its own research.

One project looks at the global burden of disease associated with climate change, another is doing a multi-sectoral assessment of the worldwide impact of climate change. LSHTM researchers have published extensively on health and climate change — they were among the first in the world to do so — and the site contains a useful list of these publications.

The Southern African Regional Climate Outlook Forum (SARCOF) is a regional seasonal weather outlook prediction and application process adopted by the fourteen countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Member States.

The site provides access to weather forecasts and climate predictions and features weather warnings, mid-season rainfall analysis and rainfall review reports to mitigate extreme climatic conditions.

The centre - which is based at the University of East Anglia and comprises nine UK research institutions - brings together scientists, economists, engineers and social scientists, who together are working to develop sustainable responses to climate change through interdisciplinary research and dialogue on both a national and international level.

After the release of the Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2001, UNEP and GRID Arendal published this set of 25 graphics focused on the special challenges that Africa faces due to expected long term climate change. 

Three sections cover the evidence of change in Africa, the science driving these changes, and vulnerability to — and trends in — extreme events on the continent. The graphics also show the severity of climate impacts on fresh water, human health, and food in Africa.

The World Agroforestry Centre, formerly the International Council for Research in Agroforestry, promotes agroforestry research in developing countries. Part of the Consultative Group for International Research in Agriculture (CGIAR), the centre partners with science and development institutions to inform, and advocate for, science-based policies that encourage agroforestry. The centre publishes articles, policy briefs and multimedia, as well as information on its research and projects, including the REDD-ALERT project that aims to provide policy options for emissions reduction.