Outlook on climate change adaptation in the Tropical Andes mountains

Laguna Churup, Huascarán National Park, Peru

on glacial meltwater for more than 25 per cent of their water needs (Buytaert et al., forthcoming). However, by melting throughout the year and storing water from the rainy season, glaciers in the Tropical Andes spread water supply to dry periods, which is important for a much higher number of people: about 800,000 rely on it for more than 25 per cent of their water in the driest months. Currently, during extreme droughts, this figure rises to more than 5 million people.

Rural communities without sufficient water storage are particularly vulnerable to the diminishing glacial compensation effect (Buytaert et al., forthcoming). One possible solution to increased seasonality and decrease in precipitation is to expand water storage systems in cities and in rural communities. For centuries, human- builtwatermanagement systems have allowedpeople to thrive in the Andes. This Mamanteos in Huamantanga in Peru, for example, have been rebuilt to provide

water for the local community as well as improve water availability for the lower basin, including the city of Lima. In creating these water management systems, it is important to acknowledge the possible social conflict arising from some groups being able to control water resources. This was observed near Lake Parón in Peru, where conflict arose between local communities and the hydropower company due to the latter’s control over the water flow (Carey et al., 2012).

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