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

This executive summary details a study on the institutional capacity to respond to climate change impacts on water resources and agriculture across three Andean river basins in Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile. The research identifies significant gaps in adaptive capacity, particularly for vulnerable populations, and suggests policy interventions to mitigate climate and water stresses.

• The current adaptive capacity of local and regional governments and agricultural producers in the Mendoza, Choquecota, and Elqui basins is insufficient to handle future climate change and extreme weather events. This deficiency is driven by poor coordination between public institutions, a lack of integrated water resources management, and limited availability of water data.
• Stronger institutional frameworks and higher development levels in Chile and Argentina do not automatically ensure adaptive capacity for the most vulnerable and poor populations, although they offer some protection to well-capitalized commercial farmers. In contrast, the population of the Choquecota basin in Bolivia is highly vulnerable due to a weaker state presence and a reliance on traditional agriculture for local consumption, meaning their adaptive capacity depends primarily on traditional knowledge and local resources.
• Agricultural producers across all three basins are sensitive to climate variability and exposed to limited water availability, with vulnerabilities being more acute for those facing existing social and economic stressors. Furthermore, a lack of institutional support and early warning systems in all basins hinders the ability of communities to respond to or anticipate emergencies caused by sudden climatic changes.
• Rural community vulnerability can be mitigated through policies that improve planning, risk prevention, and the reduction of resource concentration. Additionally, a warming climate may present opportunities for producers to introduce new crops that require fewer cold days or are sensitive to frost, potentially allowing for 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} }