This directory is intended to provide a concise reference manual of present Canadian involvement in global change activities. It was developed in collaboration with members of the CGCP Secretariat, of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC), and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO). Considerable assistance was also provided by the UK Global Environmental Research (GER) Office.

Global change activities require the cooperation of experts from a wide range of disciplines, including the natural, social and medical sciences, and the humanities. In the past, Canadian efforts have been dispersed among many individuals, groups, institutes and other organizations. The aim of the CGCP and of CIGA, as an instrument of the Program, is to encourage and promote these efforts within a single framework. CIGA is intended to be used by international and national researchers, government and non-government officials, funding agencies, the media, and to a certain degree, the public interested in global change activities.

National and international involvement in global change is in a state of constant flux. Accordingly, CIGA will be considered as a "living document", i.e. the aims and objectives, relationships with other activities, and contacts will be continually updated. Please report any additions or required changes in CIGA to the Canadian Global Change Program.