Autonomous

1
Autonomous Planned Adaptation in the Low
Watershed of the Lempa river
El Salvador, Central America
2
Central America a multi-risks region

• Many hydrometeorological and tectonic events
  records exist and are well known within the
  public and institutions.
• Climatology is influenced by the extremes of the
  SO (El Nino /La Nina events) and the hurricanes
  surge.
• Located over regional/local scale tectonic faults
  and with a dense range of volcanoes. A lot of
  alluvial valleys close to large torrential
  hydrographic watersheds.
• Damages, losses and human deaths, social and
  institutional responses have been disseminated
  through generations.
• There are no alternative options to current
  development models wich have produced additional
  socio-natural hazards.
• Still to be implemented a Regional Plan for
  Disasters Prevention and Mitigation, endorsed by
  presidents in 1999.

3
El Salvador climatology development policies

• Climatology
• Many inter-seasonal and long-term climatic
  anomalies producing negative socio-economic
  impacts.
• Sometimes extreme events are magnified by their
  inter-action with other complex fenomena (e.g.
  hurricane Mitch).
• Development Policies
• Environmental legal and policy frameworks are new
  and still not fully implemented.
• Many public services have been privatized, local
  actors are assuming a large range of policy and
  planning decisions.
• Traditional planning activities, e.g. sectoral
  policies or indicative plans or programs have
  been eliminated.
• Current development context could generate
  additional vulnerabilities (social,
  environmental or economic).

4
The Low watershed of the Lempa river

• El Salvador shares the regional central range of
  mountains-related events of the region.
• Impacts of events generated upstream the Lempa
  river (Guatemala Honduras) are more severe
  downstream in ES.
• The Lempa watershed determines about 49 of the
  Salvadoran territory, including the low
  watershed.
• Most of Salvadoran live in tectonic and climate
  hazards prone areas. Economic activities have
  generated additional socio-economic risks
  (landslides, mudslides, floodings).
• Alluvial coastal valley has been populated during
  the 90s as if it were geologically concluded and
  stable.
• The low watershed is considered a high risk area
  a) many communities are located in the area, b)
  occurrance of frequent disasters, c) most of
  soils do not infiltrate water when humid d)
  agriculture and fisheries are the main economic
  activities.

5
Floodings in the Low Lempa

• The Low Lempa is the natural flood plain of the
  river.
• There is an hydropower dam upstream the area
• Areas prone to floods could be classified
  according to maximun recorded discharges.
• Every year affected by droughts with moderate to
  severe intensities.
• During El Nino event fisheries suffer from
  temperature increases of the sea water along the
  Pacific coastline.

Droughts
6
Autonomous and Planned Adaptations (1)

• Adaptation Adopted (on the part of local
  actors)
• Organization for local development is in place
  and effective it encompasses local NGOs, local
  agenda, portfolio of projects, international
  co-operation projects, technical assistance and
  lobby activities at the national level.
• Local early warning systems are adopted and
  implemented.
• Experimental irrigation systems are in place to
  address droughts and to generate additional
  incomes.
• Demonstrative reforestation, natural forest
  conservation agroforestry projects are in
  place.
• Climate-friendly housing are designed and
  implemented under experimental conditions.
• Most of fishermen are farmers to complement their
  incomes and to overcome increases in sea water
  temperature during the ENSO event.

7
Autonomous and Planned Adaptations (2)

• Adaptation Adopted (on the part of public
  agencies)
• After Hurricane Mitch, agreements were reached
  to
• Flood control dams and drainages construction.
  (incompleted)
• Relocation of three communities to safer sites.
  (still pending)
• Hydrometeorological forcasting centre
  establishment.
• Enhancement of the hydrometeorological network
  stations.
• A tri-national management plan for the Lempa
  watershed (to be endorsed by the three
  governments.
• Training and development of local GISs for
  municipalities located in prone to natural
  hazards areas.
• Databasis establishment and updating, and
  user-friendly maps generated at the national
  public level.
• Design of a Program for Prevention Mitigation
  of Disasters in the Low Watershed of the Lempa
  river.

8
Autonomous and Planned Adaptations (3)

• Adaptation Adopted (on the part of public
  agencies)
• After Hurricane Mitch, agreements were reached
  to
• Design of a Regional 5-years Plan for Prevention
  and Mitigation of Disasters project. Financing
  for PDF assured.
• Disaster-related projects designed and submitted
  before the CEPREDENAC (regional agency) for
  financing.
• The small grant projects GEF program has been
  adopted, under which local entities could develop
  adaptation projects.
• The National Sustainable Development Comission
  has been established but is not active at all.

9
Autonomous and Planned Adaptations (4)

• Constraints and Barriers to Adaptation
• Local entities and communities have no the
  resources needed to develop identified local
  initiatives at a commercial and large scale.
• National climate monitoring do not include local
  parameters relevant to communities prone to
  risks.
• National climate broadcasting is not disseminated
  in a user-friendly format nor through direct
  channels.
• Climate-friendly housing is expensive and incomes
  are too low to afford high costs.
• Energy, water supply, communications and
  financing are private services to be paid at
  market conditions. Low incomes do not allow
  communities enjoying those benefits. Thus, there
  is a lack of such services in that area.

10
Autonomous and Planned Adaptations (5)

• Constraints and Barriers to Adaptation
• The quality of local education and health is low
  due to the lack of qualified personnel and
  resources on the ground.
• Local governments and local institutional
  framework are very weak budget, logistics and
  personnel are not adequate to the huge
  requirements of local populations.
• The five strategic issues of the local agenda,
  i.e. organization, disasters prevention,
  production environment, peace culture awareness
  and commercialisation, have no resources to be
  implemented appropriately.
• Local needs are not incorporated in a permanent
  basis within a local and national development
  planning process.
• Historically, public and private investments have
  been centralised in the capital, as well as
  public services. With the recent public reforms,
  public investments are to decrease.

11
Strategies to overcome barriers

• Adaptive Capacities
• Strengthening of national committements
  concerning sustainable development planning and
  implementation processes under Río-related
  agreements and negotiated decisions (Agenda 21,
  UNFCCC, etc.), bilateral and multi-lateral
  co-operation.
• Promoting and strengthening participation of
  local actors, NGOs and communities within the
  development planning process, viewing the
  inclusion of their priorities in national plans,
  programs and projects.
• Establishment of relevant programs to finance
  adaptation local initiatives.
• Promoting the involvement of meteorological
  services in climate change efforts to have them
  generating information relevant to improve
  adaptation capacities of users.

12
Strategies to overcome barriers

• Adaptive Capacities
• Establishment of institutional arrangements to
  promote inter-ministerial and inter-sectoral
  co-ordination, planning and implementation on
  climate change issues, e.g. national comissions.
• Strengthening and involvement of national
  universities and research centres in climate
  change efforts, in order to improve national
  capabilities in VA assessments and in the
  launching of adaptation policy processes.