Abstract
The Mega Drought that Chile has experienced in the last decade has increased the sense of socioenvironmental conflicts, mainly due to the unequal access to water in rural areas of its central valleys. Recent studies have analysed the combined effect of changes in climate and consumption of water in basins affected by drought. Yet, studies regarding current or historical responses from communities exposed to droughts are still not sufficiently explored aspects. The case of the basins of the La Ligua and Petorca rivers offer an important case study because the analysis of their communities’ behavioural adaptations to drought-prone conditions could indicate resilient responses in the face of hydric conflicts. Such behaviours, in the long run, have the potential to reveal Chilean social clues for the adaptation to processes such as Climate Change. This research is based in mix methods, where interviews and geographic information systems are the principal collection and analysis methods. It is expected to facilitate the identification of a particular form of resilience associated to droughts, which could also contribute to redesign public policies regarding national management of risk due to drought, now, centred in and from the Chilean territories.
Presenters
María Otero AuristondoLecturer and Researcher, Institute of Geography, Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Droughts, Hydric Conflicts, Resilience, Water Safety
