Adaptive Governance and Climate Change in the Tropical Highlands of Western South America

Abstract

Climate changes occurring during the past several decades in the high elevations of the tropical Andes Mountains have implications for the native plant and animal species, for the ecological integrity of the affected land cover, and for the human-biophysical systems involved. Consequences are also probable for rural inhabitants and their livelihoods, especially for farmers and pastoralists. Biophysical factors have always changed in these mountainous zones; the extent and degree of alteration acting on native and agricultural biodiversity is the concern. Addressing these climate changes is probably within the adaptive capacity of many local land-use systems, unless external socioeconomic or political forces are unsupportive or antagonistic. Suitable programs to provide information, subsidies, or alternatives could be designed. We highlight some of the inherent resiliencies of natural and cultural systems in the Andes and suggest that these systems contain lessons that could be useful elsewhere, in terms of the traits that allow for the sustainable utilization of dynamic and heterogeneous landscapes.

Climate change and crop diversity: farmers’ perceptions and adaptation on the Bolivian Altiplano

“…adjusting planting dates, changing crop composition, and improving soil and water management) are similar to those adopted by farmers in others parts of the Andean highlands and the world (e.g. Young and Lipton 2006;Bryan et al 2009;Deressa et al 2011;Habiba et al 2012;Boillat and Berkes 2013;Mijatović et al 2013;Le Dang et al 2014). Farmers' perceptions of crop responses to stresses linked to climate change are likewise in alignment with other studies.…”

“…We focused on farmers' perceptions because they inform their planting decisions and other actions that determine their resilience-ability to cope with, adapt to, and recover from shocks-into the future (Folke et al 2010). Several studies have documented Andean farmers' perceptions of climate change and their adaptation actions (Young and Lipton 2006;Valdivia et al 2010;McDowell and Hess 2012;Boillat and Berkes 2013;Lennox 2015), but few have focused on the responses of specific crop varieties to changing conditions and their current uses in adaptation. Using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, we assessed how farmers' use of crop diversity in adaptation is related to their perceptions of crop and variety tolerance, as well as other environmental, social, and economic factors.…”

Rapid decline of snow and ice in the tropical Andes – Impacts, uncertainties and challenges ahead

“…Bury et al, 2011;Carey et al, 2012b;Drenkhan et al, 2015). These aspects shape how local residents view and respond to the apparent changes in their environment, including changing climatic conditions or glacier retreat (Young and Lipton, 2006;Carey et al, 2014). Jurt et al (2015) for example, based on interviews conducted in a village at the base of the Cordillera Blanca, report how local inhabitants perceive the retreating glaciers as a threat to their livelihoods and how it further exacerbates their concern regarding water scarcity and unjust water allocation.…”

Glacier recession and human vulnerability in the Yanamarey watershed of the Cordillera Blanca, Peru

“…Research focusing on these issues highlights the historical role of changing climate patterns for the region (Dillehay and Kolata 2004) as well as the potential for climate change to exacerbate conflicts over water resources at the regional scale (Barry and Seimon 2000;Bradley et al 2006;Orlove et al 2008), in Ecuador (Rhoades et al 2006 and for large urban centers (Francou et al 1995;Painter 2007). In the Cordillera Blanca, Young and Lipton (2006) provide an overview of the impacts of climate change on glaciers, livelihoods, and governance and recent studies focus more specifically on the history of glacier-related hazards (Carey 2010;Hegglin and Huggel 2008).…”