Transboundary Adaptive Management to Reduce Climate Change Vulnerability in the Western U.S.-Mexico Border Region

This research paper examines a decade-long initiative in the Arizona-Sonora region of the U.S.-Mexico border to strengthen transboundary adaptive management. It highlights that adaptive capacity is increased through binational collaboration, the use of integrated assessments to address hydroclimatic and urbanization pressures, and the role of academic institutions as boundary organizations connecting scientists with stakeholders.

• Transboundary adaptive management is enhanced through several specific factors: binational and transborder collaboration, the involvement of multiple institutions from both nations, an understanding of how water-resources managers use climate information, the creation of accessible tools and information products, the growth of binational communities of practice, and the maintenance of continuity in effort.
• To improve adaptive capacity, integrated assessments are used to address the coupled natural and human drivers of hydroclimatic variability, economic globalization, and expanding urbanization, though these assessments frequently assume institutional arrangements are uniform.
• A decade-long research initiative in the Arizona-Sonora border region utilized a binational, interdisciplinary team and academic institutions acting as boundary organizations to connect climate scientists with public and private stakeholders to improve adaptive water management across borders.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2025). Transboundary Adaptive Management to Reduce Climate Change Vulnerability in the Western U.S.-Mexico Border Region. https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/transboundary-adaptive-management-to-reduce-climate-change-vulnerability-in-the-western-u-s-mexico-border-region/

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Transboundary Adaptive Management to Reduce Climate Change Vulnerability in the Western U.S.-Mexico Border Region. 2025. https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/transboundary-adaptive-management-to-reduce-climate-change-vulnerability-in-the-western-u-s-mexico-border-region/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Transboundary Adaptive Management to Reduce Climate Change Vulnerability in the Western U.S.-Mexico Border Region |date=17 January 2025 |url=https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/transboundary-adaptive-management-to-reduce-climate-change-vulnerability-in-the-western-u-s-mexico-border-region/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2025transboundary, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Transboundary Adaptive Management to Reduce Climate Change Vulnerability in the Western U.S.-Mexico Border Region}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2025}, month = jan, url = {https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/transboundary-adaptive-management-to-reduce-climate-change-vulnerability-in-the-western-u-s-mexico-border-region/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }