WASCAL - West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use

Abstract

With climate change being one of the most severe challenges to Africa in the 21st century, West Africa needs to develop effective adaptation and mitigation measures. WASCAL, the West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use, is a large-scale researchfocused climate service center with headquarters in Accra (Ghana) and a research competence center (CoC) in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). By the 10 member countries, WASCAL is mandated to tackle the challenges related to climate change and ultimately enhance the resilience of human and environmental systems to climate change and increased variability. It does so by strengthening the research infrastructure and capacity in West Africa related to climate change and by pooling the expertise of ten West African countries and Germany. WASCAL conducts research in the fields of climate, land use, agriculture, ecosystems, markets, livelihoods, and risk management. The center concurrently envisages establishing six observation networks, and works towards developing a range of data products and services.