CIG   05423
CENTRO DE INVESTIGACIONES GEOLOGICAS
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
capítulos de libros
Título:
Geomorphology of Natural Hazards and human induced disasters in Bolivia
Autor/es:
LATRUBESSE, E.; BAKER, P.; ARGOLLO, J.
Libro:
Geomorphology of Natural Hazards and Human Exacerbated Disasters in Latin America
Editorial:
Elsevier
Referencias:
Lugar: Geomorphology of Natural Hazards and Human Exacerbated Disasters in Latin America; Año: 2008; p. 181 - 194
Resumen:
Bolivia is a large and diverse nation in its geography, its culture, and its economy. Poverty
levels are high throughout the nation, with a large part of the population having only
limited access to essential services, including education, health, and sound housing. In 2007,
Bolivia was ranked 117th out of 177 countries on the Human Development Index, a
standardized measure combining life expectancy, literacy, education, and overall standard of
living (UNDP, 2007). This is the third lowest index in the Western Hemisphere. Because
of these socioeconomic conditions, Bolivia is highly vulnerable to hazards, both natural and
man-made. The political, economic, and physical geography of Bolivia has been thoroughly
reviewed by Montes de Oca (1997).
Although Bolivia is in a tectonically and volcanically active region, neither seismic
nor volcanic events have historically produced as large an impact (measured by total loss of
life or livelihood) as have hydrometeorological events, including floods, landslides,
droughts, and frost. Climate change is predicted to increase future temperatures in all
parts of the nation, further accelerating the loss of mountain glaciers and snowpack and
exacerbating the impact of drought in semiarid agricultural regions. Predictions of future
precipitation changes vary according to the particular climate model, but the most robust
result points to a possible increase in the intensity of wet-season precipitation (more wet
days per year) over large parts of Amazonia and southern South America (IPCC, 2007,
p. 896). The latter would increase the flooding hazard of much of lowland Bolivia that has
already been subjected to widespread flooding for the past three years (20062008).