Abstract

HOFFMANN, Dirk; TARQUINO, Rodrigo; CORRO AYALA, Javier Fernando  and  LAVADENZ, Liz. Methods for the characterization of the dynamics of socio-ecological systems associated with high Andean wetlands (Cordillera Real, Bolivia). Ecología en Bolivia [online]. 2014, vol.49, n.3, pp.132-140. ISSN 1605-2528.

High Andean peat bogs (bofedales) are keystone socio-ecosystems for millions of people in the Central Andes (Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina). They provide crucial ecosystem services such as drinking water, pasture for domestic livestock, soil carbon storage, and a particularly high level of biodiversity in comparison with surrounding areas. Characterizing changes in the functioning of bofedales as a response to the effects of climate change is therefore a topical scientific and management challenge, which requires multidisciplinarity, including a socio-economical approach. The objective of this article is to describe and discuss different social science methods in order to understand the dynamics of the functioning of the coupled social-ecological systems associated with the bofedales. For such a purpose, we present our experience within the BIOTHAW project in which we characterized the functioning of the bofedales located in four municipalities of the Cordillera Real (Bolivia). We discuss especially the relevance of four methodological approaches: participatory resear ch, interviews with local people, talking maps and experimental game designs. In a next phase within the project, the results obtained will be fed into a social-ecological model following the agent-based-modeling approach.

Keywords : wetlands; climate change; social sciences; high Andean systems; socio-ecological systems.

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