In connection with this, an Unri delegation visited the University of Waterloo’s Water Institute in June this year, Professor Irwan Effendi, a staffer with Unri’s deputy rector for cooperation planning and information system, said.
In return, two representatives from the University of Waterloo visited Unri to discuss collaborative research projects on flood impact and carbon pricing, he informed.
The representatives were field director Bill Duggan and environmental consultant Colin Rankin, he said, adding that Unri has been striving to strengthen its center of excellence through the Advanced Knowledge and Skills for Sustainable Growth in Indonesia (AKSI) ADB-Unri project.
“Unri and the University of Waterloo collaborate to draft and develop mitigation and adaptation strategies to climate change in Indonesia,” he said.
The research collaboration is essential to cope with climate change because researchers will be able to share data and findings, identify patterns and trends, and develop solutions to climate change issues, especially in Riau, Effendi added.
The province is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change partly due to the fact that it has a large peatland area and is facing abrasion in certain coastal areas.
Therefore, the research collaboration with the University of Waterloo would hopefully help find an appropriate formula for addressing the climate change problems in Riau, especially related to its peatland area, he said.
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