Key factors and concepts governing the ability of artisanal fisheries in the La Plata River basin to adapt to and reduce their vulnerability to climate change.

BAIGÚN, CLAUDIO R.M.; CASTILLO, TRILCE IRUPÉ

Proceedings of FishAdapt: the Global Conference on Climate Change Adaptation for Fisheries and Aquaculture

FAO

Lugar: Roma; Año: 2019; p. 103 - 107

Large river fisheries, like other small-scale fisheries, play a critical role in providing food security, nutrition, employment, and poverty alleviation (Berkes et al., 2001; Béné et al., 2007). However, sustainably managing large-river fisheries in South America is challenging due to increasing fishing pressure, anthropogenic impacts (Barletta et al., 2010; 2016) and climate change impacts. La Plata River basin, the second largest in South America and the fifth in the world, represents a case study that demonstrates the conceptual problems in improving small-scale fluvial fisheries adaptation and reducing their vulnerability to climate change. In the La Plata River basin, adaptation of riverine communities to climate change has been poorly considered by government agendas. Understanding the vulnerability of river fisheries to climate change is not simple but deserves attention due to their social importance. For example, predicting hydrological conditions will depend on the balance between several related factors, such as precipitation, temperature and land use patterns (Saurral et al., 2006). These effects could be exacerbated by several large dams and large reservoirs installed in the upper basin in Brazil (Agostinho et al., 2007) that have the capacity to reduce downstream main channel flows and floodplain area during low rainfall years. These factors add uncertainty about the real impacts of climatic drivers on future basin conditions for fish and fisheries sustainability.