PROJECTS WE WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT Climate change impacts on the availability of water

The Mountain Institute (TMI) Peru has been mapping stakeholder interests in the Rio Santa watershed (cordillera Blanca, Peru) in connection with the perceived climate change impacts on the availability of water (since January 2007). The project is implemented with seed money from AVINA Foundation. It explores the interests of those communities that have control of wetlands, lakes and alpine grasslands that have a major role in the hydrological cycle of the watershed, and on the other hand determines the interests of the most important users of water: export farmers on the coast, hydroelectric facilities and cities. This initiative seeks to organize information and facilitate dialogue between these two social groups sharing interest in water. The goal is to establish the social and political foundations for a comprehensive program of actions to test adaptations to climate change. Partnerships with researchers specializing in different aspects of climate change will be important to produce information useful both to the design of actions and policies. TMI is partnering with the IUCN-"Water and Nature Initiative" to seek ways to implement this long term program of action.