MANAGEMENT OF NATIVE PRAIRIES AS A STRATEGY FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS OF BOLIVIA

Abstract

The research aimed to analyze the management of native prairies as an adaptation strategy to climate change in the central highlands, Patacamaya district, Bolivia. For this, traditional livestock management was analyzed in periods of high vulnerability, observing the relationship between water stress and the use of forage grass species. The study was descriptive and relational, with 6 grass species, 3 communities (Alto Patacamaya, Chiaraque, and Patarani), and a total of 216 samples taken between July 2015 and November 2016. Gravimetric soil water content and leaf water potential at dawn were measured, and a phyto-ecological characterization was carried out. The results obtained indicate that traditional strategic management shows a relationship between the type of prairie management and the type of forage consumed. As a strategy, farmers lead their livestock to land areas covered with native grass species or areas where forage can be purchased locally. Festuca orthophylla and Stipa ichu were the most widely consumed grass species in winter, reaching water potential values of -3.5 and -4.1 MPa, respectively, in Chiaraque.