Global Change and Regional Impacts Water Availability and Vulnerability of Ecosystems and Society in the Semiarid Northeast of Brazil

About this book

Global climatic change will most likely affect natural resources and human living conditions in semiarid regions. This volume presents disciplinary as well as integrative methods to assess these impacts considering the interactions between climate variability and change, water availability, land-use systems, and quality of life. Taking the semiarid northeastern area of Brazil as an example, a wide range of expertise and knowledge (from integrated water analyses to transregional migration) is necessary to understand the complex relationship between natural and socio-economic systems. Tools to integrate this knowledge and make it available for the strategic planning of sustainable development are described. This book is a summary of the main research results and the presentations given at the final conference of the WAVES Program on June 25-26 2001 in Fortaleza (Brazil).'This book focuses on results from a joint German-Brazilian program (Water Availability and Vulnerability of Ecosystems and Society, or WAVES) to assess the socioeconomic impacts that global change will have on northeast Brazil. This book, divided into eight parts, describes the many factors that should be included in developing scenarios for future planning purposes. The book provides useful information concerning the complex multidisciplinary task of developing scenarios that can aid decision makers in formulating plans for sustainable development in an area that is highly vulnerable to climate variability and change. For someone who is unfamiliar with the semiarid northeast Brazil region, the book provides considerable useful background information' - Vernon E. Kousky, "Bulletin of the American Meteorlogical Society, December 2004".

Contents

Introduction.- Integrative Results.- Natural and Socio-Economic Conditions in the States of Piaui and Ceara: Climate; Water Resources; Physical and Environmental Context; Survey of Vegetation.- Climate Scenarios and Climate Modeling.- Water Availability, Water Management and Water Use.- Agricultural Productivity and Soil Science.- Vegetation and Landscape Ecology.- Economic and Social-Cultural Analyses.- Suporting Mathematical Tools.

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