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

This executive summary describes a project analyzing the capacity of institutions to respond to climate change impacts on agriculture and water resources across three Andean river basins in Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile. The study evaluates vulnerabilities of social actors, institutional capacities for water management, and future hydrological scenarios to inform national and regional climate adaptation policies.

• Current adaptation capacities for farmers and local/regional governments in the three studied basins are insufficient to efficiently address emerging climate change challenges and future extreme weather events. This is specifically attributed to poor coordination between public institutions, a lack of integrated water resource management, and limited availability of water data.
• While Argentina and Chile possess stronger institutional frameworks and higher development levels, these do not necessarily increase adaptation capacity for the poorest and most vulnerable groups, though they do provide some protection for larger commercial producers. In contrast, the Choquecota basin in Bolivia, characterized by traditional agriculture for family consumption and local markets and a weaker state presence, has a population that is highly vulnerable to climate change, relying primarily on traditional knowledge and resource access.
• Agricultural producers across all three basins are sensitive to climate variability and significantly exposed due to water availability limitations, with the highest vulnerability found among those already facing social and economic pressures. Furthermore, a lack of institutional support and early warning systems severely limits the ability of these communities to anticipate or respond to sudden climate emergencies.
• Vulnerability could be reduced through policies focused on risk prevention, better planning, and reducing resource concentration. Additionally, a warmer climate may present opportunities for introducing new crops that require fewer cold days and nights, potentially allowing producers to secure better prices or benefit from a decrease in frost events.

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/es/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/es/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/es/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/es/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} }