An ecohydrological adaptive approach to a salt lake in the semiarid grasslands of Argentina: future management perspectives

KOPPRIO, G. A.; FREIJE, R. H.; ARIAS-SCHREIBER, M.; LARA, R. J.

SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE

SPRINGER TOKYO

Lugar: Tokyo; Año: 2013 vol. 9 p. 229 - 238

1862-4065

Past extreme hydrological events, future climate change scenarios and approaches for lake management were studied in the Argentinean Pampa. Anthropogenic climate change will impact over water bodies and create enormous challenges for water management. Adaptation strategies are urgently needed to deal with the uncertainties originated by climate change on inland or coastal basins. Only few studies have been conducted on practical strategies to mitigate global change impacts on lakes and practically none in South America. The purpose of this work is to discuss management options seeking better adaptive alternatives for the nature reserve Lake Chasicó and to propose future management experiments and actions at regional level. The ecohydrological approach is likely to increase the ecological resilience of the lake, damp climate-driven hydrological variations and reduce eutrophication problems. Future projects should include wetland creation, fish management, water quality control, engineering work studies and education programs. Ecohydrology as an integrative natural science should be considered as a water management strategy to build ecological resilience in water bodies. The building of social-ecological resilience is also crucial for the stability of coupled human-ecological systems. The integration of natural and social sciences into sustainability approaches represents a robust strategy for adapting to climate change.