Objectives
The Tamlar Range Governance Simulation is an innovative approach to inter-regional exchange and learning developed in the context of the Adaptation at Altitude project.
The Simulation enables participants to:
- experience complexity in mountain range governance for climate change adaptation;
- experiment with the consequences of collective decisions and learn from one’s own and others’ constraints;
- and facilitate collaboration for adaptive governance in the context of uncertainty, multiple stakeholders, and interdependent challenges.
Setting
The Simulation unfolds in an imaginary world where five countries – Sarid, Kitar, Talis, Ethara, and Miria – share a mountain range. The countries vary in size, population, energy profile, and resource endowment; resources include monetary reserves, knowledge (creation | application), well-being (individual | collective), agricultural production (crops | grapes | animal), water, and biodiversity.
Teams of 6–8 country representatives have the task of designing and implementing a coherent vision for achieving a desired future by means of investments in national and regional assets as well as the development of a regional governance instrument that fosters cooperation in climate change adaptation.
The simulation has no winners and losers. Climate change will continue to impact mountain regions disproportionately. A positive outcome of the Simulation is one in which adaptive capacity in the Tamlar Range increases, both at the national and the regional level.
Simulation Proceedings
The Tamlar Range Simulation includes three rounds; each round represents four years.
Participants engage in domestic and regional decision-making and experience unforeseen events. As in real life, some events are positive, others are negative; some are local, others are regional.
All decisions and events have direct consequences for a country’s resources and adaptive capacity and sometimes its energy profile. When resources fall below critical thresholds, consequences are felt across the
board.
However, negative consequences can be avoided or reduced by investing in national preparedness and, especially, regional collaboration.
To this end, country teams use their monetary reserves to acquire national and regional assets. Twelve different national assets or infrastructures – e.g. an agricultural microcredit system, water treatment plant, or
ecotourism extension service – help countries cope with climate change.
National assets also enable the joint acquisition of up to five different regional assets such as a renewable energy research center or an regional early warning system. Regional assets are more difficult to obtain because they are expensive and require countries to share the cost. At the same time, they offer important boosts for adaptive capacity.
Interactions
The simulation takes place in a plenary hall and country breakout rooms. Country teams deliberate in separate rooms but can visit each other by sending envoys or inviting guests.
Each country team designates two delegations to a regional forum, which is held in the plenary hall: (i) an economic delegation negotiates the purchase of regional assets and (ii) a political delegation elaborates a
regional instrument that incorporates the seven governance dimensions developed in the Mountains Connect videos.
In each of the three rounds, countries purchase or sell assets (within limits), take note of the impact of events on their resources (and those of neighbors) and adjust accordingly, refine the national adaptation strategy, clarify regional ambitions, define delegations’ negotiation mandates, and prepare a national perspective on the regional instrument.
Support
Country teams and regional delegations are accompanied by coaches who encourage exchange, ensure equal access to the deliberations, and guide the participants throughout the stages of the simulation.
Each round ends with a collective debriefing on national and regional developments. The simulation concludes with an assessment of lessons learned.