COP18 (04/12/12) – Virendra Pal Singh, Director of South Asia Region at the World Agroforestry Centre talks about the common problems facing livelihoods and communities across the South Asia region. He says food security, hunger, poverty and low income impacts all areas of South Asia, as well as deforestation, land degradation and the loss of biodiversity.

He then says different regions in South Asia also experience more specific problems. He says while one area could be hit by low rainfall another could be hit with flooding. He says one common element is that these climatic events are becoming more intense, more frequent and are covering larger areas.

He talks about some of the way communities can become more resilient – for example by removing the uncertainty of these events and building the capacity to deal with them. He says the COP offers them a chance to meet with other regions around the world that are experiencing similar problems and share their experiences.