Dialogue on Water and Climate

Coping with Climate Variability in a Transboundary Basin

in Central America

The San Juan River Basin
(Costa Rica and Nicaragua)

Report of the Bi-National Workshop
(3-4 September 2002)

Abstract

During the second half of 2002, the Ministries of Environment of the governments of Costa Rica and Nicaragua initiated project activities to identify and describe the government, community and household coping strategies used to face the negative aspects of climate variability in the San Juan River Basin. Sponsored by the International Secretariat of the Dialogue on Water and Climate (IS/DWC), it was one of eighteen similar projects around the world underway at the basin, national and regional levels. As a part of this project, a bi-national workshop was held to discuss the results of a previous analysis made to identify, and describe the successful national, municipal and household coping mechanisms used in the basin. These mechanisms would then form a part of the larger IS/DWC program to reduce vulnerability of potable water supplies to threats resulting from climate variation. Findings from the study reported here will also provide input to national level policies in Costa Rica and Nicaragua as well as to the planning process of PROCUENCA-SAN JUAN.

The San Juan River Basin was chosen as a case study because of the experience of the PROCUENCA-SAN JUAN project in this transboundary basin—particularly with regard to its experience in the use of dialogues. Work was performed with the technical assistance of the OAS Unit for Sustainable Development and Environment and the financial support of the Government of the Netherlands through the IS/DWC. The present document is an English summary made from the proceedings of the bi-national workshop.