Abstracts
A Comparative Study of Institutional Adaptive Capacity: South Saskatchewan River Basin, Canada, and Elqui River Basin, Northern Chile
Dave Sauchyn1, Polo Diaz, and David Gauthier
1University of Regina
sauchyn@uregina.ca
In 2004, a 16-member research team of Canadians and Chileans received $2.45 million from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) for a five-year study of the capacity of institutions in two dryland regions to adapt to the impacts of climate change. The South Saskatchewan River Basin in western Canada and the Elqui River Basin of north- central Chile are at different stages of social and environmental vulnerability. Both regions have a dry climate adjacent to a major mountain system and landscapes at risk of desertification, as well as an agricultural economy dependent on irrigation water derived from mountain snow and glaciers. The project objectives are: (1) to identify the current physical and social vulnerabilities related to water resource scarcity in the two dryland regions; (2) to examine the effects of climate change risks on the identified vulnerabilities; and (3) to assess the technical and social adaptive capacities of the regional institutions to address the vulnerabilities to current water scarcity and climate change risks. This presentation will describe the strategies and materials developed in the first year to achieve the goal of project: a systematic and comprehensive understanding of the capacities of regional institutions to formulate and implement strategies of adaptation to climate change risks and the forecasted impacts of climate change on the supply and management of water resources in dryland environments.
2005-04-05 |
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