Climate change and mountains: The case of the Rio Santa in Peru

1. Climate change and mountains: The case of the Rio Santa in Peru Gonzalo Guillén Beker Director for the Environment Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Peru

2. The challenges of climate changeMountains, physical aspects • It is expected that future climate warming will be particularly pronounced in cold areas such as mountains. • In contrast to how mountains appear to us, their ecosystems are fragile and highly susceptible to degradation and environmental changes. • The list of impacts associated with climate change in mountain regions is very complex.

3. Mount Alpamayo

4. The challenges of climate changeMountains, social aspects • As well as the environments in which they live in, mountain societies are characterized by a marked complexity and vulnerability, traits that are enhanced in the context of climate change and high uncertainty.

5. Llamas in Peru

6. Peruvian Farmers

7. The challenges of climate changeTropical mountains • If the conditions and the predictions are critical to the mountains and its people in general, they are even more so for tropical mountains. • In Peru, reality and forecasts are not encouraging: in the last 30 years the glacier surface lost about 25% of its 3170 km² and as tropical glaciers are particularly sensitive to temperature increase, some estimates indicate that they could disappear altogether in the coming decades.

8. Huayhuash Mountain Chain

9. The Case of the Santa River Basin, Cordillera Blanca, Peru • In Peru, the Andes are divided into three main chains: the Eastern, the Central and Western Chain.

10. The Andes • Eastern Chain • Central Chain • Western Chain

11. Perú PNH • Cordillera Blanca

12. The Huascaran

13. Glacier retreat at the Cordillera BlancaExample: The Yanamarey Glacier • 1970: 723 km² of glacier area • 1997: 611 km² of area left = 112 km² glacier or 15.46% loss • 2007: It is estimated that the loss is 22%

14. The Case of the Santa River Basin, Cordillera Blanca, Peru • A case that illustrates the challenges of climate change is the Santa River basin, which rises in the Cordillera Blanca and runs to the Pacific Ocean through a deep valley between the Cordillera Blanca and her neighbor, the Cordillera Negra.

15. Lake Parón

16. The Case of the Santa River Basin, Cordillera Blanca, Peru • The Santa River goes trough many different provinces, covers 316 km and has an area of ​​14.954 km². If we consider that this area is equivalent to almost one third of the territory of Switzerland, we can get an idea of ​​the challenges that may be involved in managing this territorial level.

17. The Case of the Santa River Basin, Cordillera Blanca, Peru • The social context of the Santa River basin is very complex and is characterized by social diversity and low institutional, commercial and political integration.

18. The Case of the Santa River Basin, Cordillera Blanca, Peru • Better local management of mountain ecosystems: forests and grasslands.

19. Conclusions • Existing capacities to respond to increasing climate variability only exist at local levels. • In Peru, we are currently developing a set of initiatives to strenghten institutions. • It is necessary to establish priority actions.

20. Thank You!