Bajando la montaña: entendiendo la vulnerabilidad de las comunidades andinas a la variabilidad hidroclimatológica y el cambio ambiental global

The report assesses climate vulnerability and institutional adaptive capacity in the Mendoza, Choquecota, and Elqui river basins. It finds that current adaptive capacities of producers and governments are insufficient to meet future climate challenges, citing poor institutional coordination and lack of integrated water management. While commercial farmers in Argentina and Chile have some protection due to capital and institutional frameworks, poor populations and traditional farmers in Bolivia remain highly vulnerable, relying on local resources and traditional knowledge. The study highlights a critical lack of early warning systems across all basins and suggests that policies targeting resource concentration and risk prevention could reduce vulnerability.

• The adaptive capacity of agricultural producers and local/regional governments in the Mendoza, Choquecota, and Elqui basins is insufficient to address future climate change and extreme events, primarily due to poor institutional coordination, limited water data, and a lack of integrated water resources management.
• Stronger institutional frameworks and higher development levels in Argentina and Chile do not necessarily improve adaptive capacity for the most vulnerable populations, although they do provide some protection for well-capitalized commercial farmers. In contrast, the population in Bolivia's Choquecota basin is highly vulnerable and relies on traditional knowledge and local resources.
• Agricultural producers in all three basins are sensitive to climate variability and limited water availability, with higher vulnerability for those facing existing economic and social stressors.
• A lack of early warning systems and institutional support for emergency response across all basins significantly impairs the ability of communities to handle hazardous climatic events.
• Vulnerability can be reduced through policies that improve planning, risk prevention, and the reduction of resource concentration; additionally, warmer climates may offer opportunities to introduce new crops or achieve higher prices through earlier harvests.

APA

Gauthier, D., Santibañez-Quezada, F., Brown, C., Diaz, H. (., Garay-Flühmann, R., McDowell, J. Z., Montaña, E. C., Reyes, B., & Bravo, S. S. (2024). Bajando la montaña: entendiendo la vulnerabilidad de las comunidades andinas a la variabilidad hidroclimatológica y el cambio ambiental global. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. https://iai.int/en/bajando-la-montana-entendiendo-la-vulnerabilidad-de-las-comunidades-andinas-a-la-variabilidad-hidroclimatologica-y-el-cambio-ambiental-global-sgp-hd-004/

Chicago

Gauthier, David, Fernando Santibañez-Quezada, Casey Brown, Harry (Polo) Diaz, Rosa Garay-Flühmann, Julia Z. McDowell, Elma Carmen Montaña, Bernardo Reyes, and Sonia Salas Bravo. Bajando la montaña: entendiendo la vulnerabilidad de las comunidades andinas a la variabilidad hidroclimatológica y el cambio ambiental global. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, 2024. https://iai.int/en/bajando-la-montana-entendiendo-la-vulnerabilidad-de-las-comunidades-andinas-a-la-variabilidad-hidroclimatologica-y-el-cambio-ambiental-global-sgp-hd-004/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gauthier |first1=David |last2=Santibañez-Quezada |first2=Fernando |last3=Brown |first3=Casey |last4=Diaz |first4=Harry (Polo) |last5=Garay-Flühmann |first5=Rosa |last6=McDowell |first6=Julia Z. |last7=Montaña |first7=Elma Carmen |last8=Reyes |first8=Bernardo |last9=Bravo |first9=Sonia Salas |title=Bajando la montaña: entendiendo la vulnerabilidad de las comunidades andinas a la variabilidad hidroclimatológica y el cambio ambiental global |publisher=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |date=16 September 2024 |url=https://iai.int/en/bajando-la-montana-entendiendo-la-vulnerabilidad-de-las-comunidades-andinas-a-la-variabilidad-hidroclimatologica-y-el-cambio-ambiental-global-sgp-hd-004/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gauthier2024bajando, author = {Gauthier, David and Santibañez-Quezada, Fernando and Brown, Casey and Diaz, Harry (Polo) and Garay-Flühmann, Rosa and McDowell, Julia Z. and Montaña, Elma Carmen and Reyes, Bernardo and Bravo, Sonia Salas}, title = {{Bajando la montaña: entendiendo la vulnerabilidad de las comunidades andinas a la variabilidad hidroclimatológica y el cambio ambiental global}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2024}, month = sep, url = {https://iai.int/en/bajando-la-montana-entendiendo-la-vulnerabilidad-de-las-comunidades-andinas-a-la-variabilidad-hidroclimatologica-y-el-cambio-ambiental-global-sgp-hd-004/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }