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
The challenges of climate change
Mountains, physical aspects
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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.
Mount Alpamayo
The challenges of climate change
Mountains, social aspects
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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.
Llamas in Peru
Peruvian Farmers
The challenges of climate change
Tropical mountains
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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.
Huayhuash Mountain Chain
The Case of the Santa River Basin,
Cordillera Blanca, Peru
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In Peru, the Andes are divided into three
main chains: the Eastern, the Central and
Western Chain.
The Andes
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Eastern Chain
Central Chain
Western Chain
• Cordillera Blanca
Perú
PNH
The Huascaran
Glacier retreat at the Cordillera Blanca
Example: The Yanamarey Glacier
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1970: 723 km² of glacier area
1997: 611 km² of area left = 112 km² glacier or 15.46% loss
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2007: It is estimated that the loss is 22%
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The Case of the Santa River Basin,
Cordillera Blanca, Peru
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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.
Lake Parón
The Case of the Santa River Basin,
Cordillera Blanca, Peru
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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.
The Case of the Santa River Basin,
Cordillera Blanca, Peru
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The social context of the Santa River basin is
very complex and is characterized by social
diversity and low institutional, commercial
and political integration.
The Case of the Santa River Basin,
Cordillera Blanca, Peru
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Better local management of mountain
ecosystems: forests and grasslands.
Conclusions
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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.
Thank You!