Abstract
The Santa María Watershed, located in central Panama, is one of the country’s most important hydrological systems, providing water, food production, and ecosystem services to more than 200,000 people. In recent decades, the watershed has experienced increasing climate pressures—including altered rainfall regimes, prolonged dry seasons, and more frequent extreme precipitation events—intensifying the need for locally informed adaptation strategies. This paper examines how meteorological evidence was used to design and implement the Resilience Action Plan for the Santa María Watershed, an initiative that integrates climate science with community participation and watershed governance. Using historical rainfall and temperature records, drought indices, ENSO-related variability, and satellite-based climate observations, the project identified key vulnerability patterns affecting forest cover, soil moisture, water availability, and agricultural productivity. These meteorological findings guided decisions on ecosystem restoration, the prioritization of 150,000 seedling plantations, the development of a Disaster Resilience Tool, and the establishment of risk zones across the upper, middle, and lower watershed. The analysis was complemented by co-creation workshops with local governments, farmers, and community organizations, ensuring that scientific data was translated into actionable planning. The Santa María case demonstrates how meteorological evidence can strengthen adaptation planning in rural and peri-urban watersheds, generating scalable insights for climate resilience across the Global South.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Watershed Adaptation Climate Change Water Global South
