Operationalising Adaptive Capacity - Climate Change and Water Governance: Adaptive Capacity in Chile and Switzerland - page 231

Table 12.2 Operationalised indicators of adaptive ca pacity relating to knowledge components of the governance system with case examples

Case examples
Chile

Knowledge
indicators Operationalisation Switzerland

Evaluation
and
planning

Neutrality : Limiting scale of
subjectivity in research and
evaluation inputs into planning
decisions, i.e. opposing
information and studies being
used in the management of
water resources to justify
certain decisions on infrastruc-
ture, water rights or manage-
ment pathways. A healthy level
of diversity is in different
techniques and researchers can
contribute to the scientific
robustness of decision making,
but neutral quality assessment
can remove bias.

Inter-linkage between political and
technical aspects of water manage-
ment disrupts, slows down and
politicises technical assessments and
their implementation, leading to
contentions over the technical
feasibility studies (pitching private
consultancy assessments against the
DGA assessments) of groundwater
sustainability, the Puntilla de Viento
Dam and related groundwater
exploitation studies. Ability to create
long term plans beyond the term of
one president/administration is a
challenge (e.g. IWRM plans of
Bachelet government).

Sectoral motives infiltrate studies commissioned for the TRC;
technical studies are used by both sides to justify 'their'
proposed technique for flood management. Private
engineering offices play a large role in technical support
to municipalities in conjunction with public administra-
tive departments.

Reactivity/Longevity: Development
of both short term coping
strategies for ad hoc climate
shocks and extremes (inter-
annual droughts and flooding)
and longer term adaptation
plans for larger shifts from
climate change impacts
(changes in glacier melt, snow
pack, seasonality).

Reliance mainly on traditional/
observation of rainfall amounts to
predict preparation needs for a
drought the coming summer at farm/
canal level. Uncertainty calculations
and climate impacts not taken
specifically into account in planning
of large projects (e.g. Aconcagua
Project).

Proactive and prophylactic approach to planning (10 year
cycle of planning in hydropower sector; canton and
municipal ordinances on disaster management proce-
dures; local risk hazard mapping) flood management
plans are cantonal and federal responsibility to be
implemented at local level (warning times are about 6-8
hours). MINERVE generates short to medium term
precipitation prognosis to forecast bad weather events and
expected water volumes to be managed. For water supply,
water quality safety systems indicate if spring levels are
reaching critically low levels from 1 year to the next.