| Table 6-9: Summary of adaptation
options in response to climate change in Latin America, based primarily
on the IPCC Technical Paper on Technologies, Policies, and Measures for
Mitigating Climate Change (IPCC, 1996b). |
|
| Sector |
Adaptation Option |
Other Benefits |
Difficulties to be Considered |
| Forests |
Reduction of social pressure driving land conversion |
Soil and biodiversity conservation, watershed benefits |
National and international socioeconomic conflict |
| Large tree plantations on highly degraded areas; short-term rotation plantations
for local fuel needs |
Proper site and species selection for soil conservation and watershed
benefits |
Costs vary between countries (US$4-31/tC) |
| Assisted migration |
Biodiversity conservation |
High costs, uncertain success |
| Low-impact harvest practices |
Soil and biodiversity conservation, watershed benefits |
|
|
| Rangelands |
Preservation of an extensive spatial scale in management units |
Preservation of traditional organization patterns of rural communities,
soil and biodiversity conservation |
Possible socioeconomic conflicts |
| Active selection of plant species and control of animal stocking rates |
Increased productivity, biodiversity, soil conservation |
Land tenure and market problems, cultural difficulties |
| Increase of the area devoted to capital-intensive improved pastures |
Alleviation of pressure on larger areas of rangeland |
High costs |
| Agroforestry, particularly involving legume tree species |
Increased productivity, biodiversity, and soil conservation |
|
|
| Mountains |
Conservation of traditional cultivation practices and genotypes |
Conservation of local biodiversity and world's genetic resources; promotion
of indigenous knowledge |
Market problems |
| Adjustment of infrastructure (dams, pipelines, erosion protection, etc.)
|
|
High costs |
|
| Agriculture |
Expansion of agricultural land area |
|
Competition with other uses, high environmental impacts in forest areas,
threatening for subsistence lifestyles |
| Changes in agricultural practices (sowing dates, tillage, irrigation,
fertilization, crop varieties, species) |
Reduced soil erosion, increased yields in some cases |
Market problems, including marketing difficulties in adopting new practices,
and environmental impacts in case of irrigation and fertilization |
|
| Freshwater Systems |
Assisted dispersal of ecologically and/or economically important species
to isolated locations |
|
High costs |
| Restoration of rivers and stream channels to more natural morphologies;
large-scale hydrological engineering in floodplains |
|
High costs, conflicting interests among stakeholders, ecological and cultural
impacts |
| Augmentation of riparian vegetation to reduce negative effects of warming;
decreased loading of nutrients to reduce eutrophication processes (which
are believed to be exacerbated by increasing water temperature) |
|
|
|
| Hydro- power |
Construction of new hydropower plants |
Level supply and demand curve |
Very high costs, increased need for international loans, potentially high
ecological and sociological impacts |
| Reduced consumption; improved use efficiency; improved electricity transmission
|
Lower energy costs |
|
|
| Coastal Zones and Saltwater Fisheries (1) |
Raise reservoir capacity |
Use of secondary water for other purposes (leisure activities) |
Very high costs |
| Structural protection measures (dikes, seawalls, breakwaters, beach groins)
in heavily populated areas |
|
Subject to land availability inland, socio-cultural conflict and high
environmental impact likely |
| Retreat |
|
Possible internal and international interests |
| Design and implementation of national and international fishery-management
policies that recognize shifting species ranges, accessibility, and abundances
and balance species conservation with local needs |
|
|
|
| Human Population |
Expansion of aquaculture to increase and stabilize seafood supplies, help
stabilize employment, and carefully augment wild stocks |
|
High costs |
| Introduction of protective technologies (e.g., insulated buildings, air-conditioning,
strengthened sea defenses, disaster warning systems); education efforts
aimed at high-risk groups |
|
High costs, poorly understood consequences for other components of ecosystems
|
| Environmental management of ecosystems (e.g., freshwater resources, wetlands,
and agricultural areas sensitive to invasion by vectors) |
|
|
|
| Human Settlements |
Improved primary health care for vulnerable populations, and public health
surveillance and control programs (especially for infectious diseases) |
|
High costs, conflict of interests, cultural problems |
| Decentralization of basic infrastructure to mitigate immigration into
cities |
|
High costs |
|
| Industry |
Better designed urban infrastructure (buildings, recreation areas, water
delivery systems, etc.) |
Reduction of air pollution in some cases |
Socioeconomic, marketing, and cultural problems |
|
| (1) Adaptation to the impact of climate change on open oceans
is limited by the nature of these changes, and their scale. |
