Assessing Adaptive Capacity - Climate Change and Water Governance: Adaptive Capacity in Chile and Switzerland - page 274

Table 13.2 (continued)

Knowledge
indicators Operationalisation Case examples

Chile

Switzerland

Openness : Openness
to learning and
willingness to
adopt new
solutions or
paradigms.

Perception of the uniqueness and success of the Chilean
model, therefore reticence in ability to learn from
other experiences; older water users seen to be
unwilling to move with the times; water and environ-
mental authorities look to European WFD; acceptance
of challenges in institutions, but not of the approach.

Belief that historical adaptations positions Valais
better than rest of Switzerland; research partner-
ships and knowledge exchange associations within
and outside of canton suggest openness to learning
from external experts and other regions.

Experience
and
expertise

Experience : Mix of
technical
competence,
traditional
knowledge, social
memory, training
and years of
experience.

Lack of professional training/education in water resources
management for those private actors 'managing' water
rights, for normal or drought periods. JdV/Canalista
positions tend to be non-professional and part time.
Strong role of tradition ('culture of water') and history
in management of the canals. Experience of managing
water scarcity differs from section to section and
region to region. CNR/CORFO seminars and training
programmes aim to improve management, techniques
and efficiency and knowledge transfer in visits abroad.
In drought management DGA relies on provision of
technical information/parameters, while irrigators'
intuition guides the management process. Lack of
local knowledge/capacity in DGA drought interveners.

Disparities across municipalities and sectors;
post-event debriefings occur at company level,
allowing lessons to be applied to management of
and preparation for future events; training courses
on water management specialised for water
management within different sectors through
commune and cantonal administrations (e.g.
L'association Valaisaine de distributer d'eau' ;
Societe Suisse de l'industrie du gaz et d'eau ;
Landwirtschaftzentrum ; seminars on extreme
events in Dienstelle für Naturgefahr ). Long history
of experience of rain shadow effect and annual
training exercises on disaster response. Mix of
experts in TRC (engineers, hydrologists,
ecologists, territorial management etc.)