Participative Policy Design to Manage Droughts and Floods in an Arid Region under Changing Climate Scenarios: The Case of Baja California Sur, Mexico

Abstract

Floods can be defined as one of the most frequent and destructive disasters, that cause significant damage to people, while droughts present significant challenges, primarily to the most vulnerable communities. In consequence, not only public policies but the increased participation of communities and other sectors are crucial to manage the risk in the face of both phenomena and contribute to the construction of resilient communities. At the request of the National Water Commission of Mexico (CONAGUA) for the Regional Water Plan (PHR), we designed and applied a methodology based on a web-based consultation in conjunction with digital survey tools to understand the opinion of communities, key participants, and researchers about these phenomena. The workshops were organized in the five municipalities of Baja California Sur. Then, we performed an interdisciplinary analysis that combined hydrological considerations with the most critical social, economic, environmental, and legal components, applying the PESTEL (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, and Legal) analysis. The results indicate that there is a clear and widespread awareness that floods and droughts increase the risk to the livelihoods of the population; however, there are deficiencies in different areas, which complicates risk management. Timely distribution of information and the inclusion of communities in mitigation and adaptation proposals would allow the achievement of greater success with efforts to minimize vulnerabilities and increase the resilience of the population in the face of climate extremes. This must be a collaborative work of the entire society: governmental, social, and private stakeholders.