CLARIS LPB

The CLARIS LPB Project aims at predicting the regional climate change impacts on La Plata Basin (LPB) in South America, and at designing adaptation strategies for land-use, agriculture, rural development, hydropower production, river transportation, water resources and

Researchers have begun by analysing past climate data and extreme weather events as they relate to agriculture and hydrology. For the agricultural assessments specifically, small- and large-scale farms in Argentina and Brazil were selected as study sites. In terms of the hydrological studies, researchers are looking at how floods affect oceanic boat navigation, urbanisation and man-made structures along river banks. They are also evaluating the potential for generating hydropower in the La Plata Basin. The four-year project hopes to provide the basin’s communities with a better understanding of their vulnerability to potential climate change scenarios. Armed with this data, the local populations will be able to adapt to these scenarios effectively by implementing the strategies developed by the Claris LPB project.