Multinational Andean Project: Geoscience for Andean Communities

Provide support to the participating national geoscience agencies of the Andean nations to improve their ability to develop, and apply integrated geoscience and geospatial information to mitigate the impacts of geological hazards.

Objectives

• Increase regional cooperation among Andean national geoscience agencies.
• Increase institutional cooperation and knowledge within each country in the application of geohazard and geospatial information for decision-making in targeted communities.
• Enhance the capacity of the participating national geoscience agencies to collect and interpret geohazard and geospatial information.
• Enhance natural hazard information management.

Partners

• Earth Sciences Sector (ESS), Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)
• Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
• Geological and Mining Survey of Argentina (SEGEMAR)
• Geological and Technical Mining Survey of Bolivia (SERGEOTECMIN)
• Institute of Geology and Mining of Colombia (INGEOMINAS)
• National Geological and Mining Survey of Chile (SERNAGEOMIN)
• Geological Survey of Ecuador (DINAGE)
• Institute of Mining Geology and Metallurgy of Peru (INGEMMET)
• Institute of Geology and Mining of Venezuela (INGEOMIN)
• And over 150 academic/NGO/private sector and other governmental organizations

Duration

From 2002 to 2009

Links

For more details, please see the project Web site

Background

The Multinational Andean Project: Geoscience for Andean Communities is a $30-million international cooperation project executed by NRCan's ESS and funded by CIDA.

The project motto is "turning knowledge into action". The geological surveys of the seven participating South American countries worked with communities and various related agencies to make tools and information available for informed decision making in land use planning and emergency management. This in turn strengthened communities and made them more resilient to natural hazards.

As work in the participating countries continues, these geological surveys are becoming increasingly aware and responsive to the needs of decision makers in the development of geoscience information on natural hazards. They now work directly with other agencies and communities at risk to provide geoscientific knowledge that can be understood and used for decision making to reduce the vulnerability of the population.

Project results include: geoscientific guidelines, inventories, databases and standards that guide the South American scientists in their work as they collect, interpret and produce hazard information for decision makers.

Outcomes at the community level have been promising and consist of: changes in land zoning, park creation, hazard event simulations, emergency plans, increased public awareness of local hazards and appropriate response, and hazard curricula integrated into regional education.

Contact

France Morin, Senior Advisor, International Division