Chapter Five

 
Development of a comprehensive and widely accepted science plan is only the first step in building a regional scale collaborative global change study.  Since a structure for the implementation of the Integrated Study is required, the Science Plan must be communicated widely to the scientific and policymaking communities within the region, and resources must be found for the new work required to fill the gaps and for the co-ordination and synthesis activities that make the whole more than the sum of its parts.
 

Co-ordination

Given the central role that SARCS will play in the further planning and implementation of the Integrated Study, it seems appropriate that SARCS should serve as the co-ordinating node.  Mechanisms are already established to facilitate both the input of advice and expertise from the international programme elements of the three global change research programmes and from the regional bodies that have responsibility for developing sustainable development strategies. The membership of the SARCS Scientific Advisory Panel should be revised to reflect the broader goals of the Integrated Study.

A Scientific Coordinator for the Integrated Study will need to be appointed by SARCS.   The coordinator should be responsible for:
· Establishing  co-ordination nodes for each of the Core Themes (or in some cases for specific activities) and Case-Study Sites within the region and to assist these nodes develop their collaborative research networks;
· Assisting in the development of regional thematic and case-study research networks;
· Organising an Open Science Meeting to make a preliminary synthesis of available knowledge and to promote the programme;
· Establish procedures to evaluate the suitability of proposals for projects to be formally included in the Integrated Study;
· Liason with IHDP, WCRP and IGBP on activities relevant to the Integrated Study in the Southeast Asia region.

Resources

The Integrated Study is off to a good start in that several existing, funded studies can readily provide a solid basis for the research programme.  However, important studies required to fill gaps, such as the process-level bio-geochemical studies, and research on industrial transformation and urbanisation, will require major new resources.  Resources are urgently required to support the co-ordination, integration and synthesis activities that will knit the individual components together into a coherent whole. Since activities are done by national organisations, it is important to identify experts and policymakers at the local and national levels. The role of other research efforts and initiatives like Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research, among others, will be very important in this respect.
 

Timetable of Strategic Activities

Over the first 5-10 year life of the Integrated Study their are some broad strategic activities that will need to take place for the project to succeed. These are summarised in a timetable (Figure 5.1).  In the first 2 years building awareness of the existence of the SARCS initiative and establishing a node for overall-coordination. Soon after priority will need to be placed on facilitating the formation of research networks among the most competent and relevant research teams in the region.  Two kinds of networks are envisaged: thematic and basin-based.

Once the research networks have formed they will generate their own activities; initially these will largely be planning meetings to refine and operationalise the objectives of the Science Plan.  Early on in the project there should be an Open Science Meeting to make a preliminary synthesis of the state of understanding. This should be preceeded by a set of commissioned reviews. Open Science Meetings should be held approximately every three years thereafter.  A critical external review of the achievements and future workplan of the Integrated Study should accompany the Open Science Meetings.  As described in Core Theme 9, science-policy workshops aimed at improving the use of research-based knowledge in the policy process should be held at regular, perhaps annual, intervals focussing on key issues in improving strategies for sustainable development.

This timetable and chapter are meant only as a general guide.  The details of how best to implement the Integrated Study will need to be worked out in consultation with the researchers in the region.

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