Institutional capacities of response to extreme rainfall events in small coastal tourism and artisanal fishing economies in Latin America

The policy brief evaluates the vulnerability and institutional capacities of three Latin American coastal communities—Teacapan (Mexico), Bayahibe (Dominican Republic), and Brava de Almada (Brazil)—to respond to extreme rainfall events. While legal frameworks and actor networks are generally sufficient, the study finds that citizen participation mechanisms are consistently weak across the sites. The report highlights specific deficiencies: Brava de Almada lacks inter-institutional communication and popular participation in contingency plans; Teacapan suffers from fragile local response actions despite a robust regional civil protection system; and Bayahibe is partially ignored by central government-led initiatives. The document recommends improving two-way communication between local and central authorities, increasing social risk perception, and updating risk management tools like vulnerability maps.

• A comprehensive risk assessment integrating vulnerability and severity criteria identifies Brava de Almada, Brazil, as the most threatened site, despite it having the highest economic conditions and living standards among the studied locations.
• Across the studied sites, legal frameworks and networks of key actors (community, government, and NGOs) are generally adequate to handle hazards, but mechanisms for citizen participation are the weakest component of institutional response.
• Legal regulations for extreme precipitation events were primarily reactive and dated from the 1980s, though the last decade has seen an increase in federal laws focused on climate change mitigation and adaptation.
• Site-specific institutional failures include deficient inter-institutional communication and lack of popular participation in contingency plans in Brava de Almada, fragile and delayed local response actions in Teacapan, and the exclusion of small areas like Bayahibe from central government initiatives.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (n.d.). Institutional capacities of response to extreme rainfall events in small coastal tourism and artisanal fishing economies in Latin America. https://iai.int/pdf/en/PB_01.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Institutional capacities of response to extreme rainfall events in small coastal tourism and artisanal fishing economies in Latin America. n.d. https://iai.int/pdf/en/PB_01.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Institutional capacities of response to extreme rainfall events in small coastal tourism and artisanal fishing economies in Latin America |url=https://iai.int/pdf/en/PB_01.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearchndinstitutional, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Institutional capacities of response to extreme rainfall events in small coastal tourism and artisanal fishing economies in Latin America}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, url = {https://iai.int/pdf/en/PB_01.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }