Adaptation Potential of Local Water Management Practices to Glacier Loss

Abstract

Climate change disproportionately affects mountain river basins, driving cryospheric changes and altering their hydrology. This has detrimental impacts on water resources, accentuating the need for robust adaptation strategies. Traditional engineering approaches can provide buffering capacity but are associated with high costs and limited flexibility. At the same time, local, small scale water management practices are gaining attention, yet evidence on their effectiveness remains limited. We evaluate the adaptation potential of common local practices, that is, headwater grassland regeneration, small surface storage, and artificial recharge, in the Vilcanota-Urubamba system, Peru. We find that, if properly managed, these interventions can substantially contribute to seasonal and interannual hydrological buffering and dry season water availability. However, when implemented in isolation, they are unlikely to fully offset climate impacts. Our results support the design of catchment-scale intervention portfolios for adaptation planning, with a combination of large, centralized infrastructure and distributed local interventions likely to provide the most effective solution.