Community adaptations to environmental challenges under decentralized governance in southwestern Uruguay

Since the turn of the 21st century, climate change and globalization had substantial environmental impacts on the southwestern region of Uruguay. Rural community responses to environmental challenges have been influenced by recent political decentralization governments and programs. This study explores how community governance processes under decentralization influenced the mobilization of community capitals used for adaptation to environmental stresses in four communities of southwestern Uruguay. Research methods include semi-structured interviews conducted in 2012-2013 with key informants from market, state, and civil society and participant observation and minutes from local public meetings and assemblies in four communities of this region. Consultation facilitated adaptive actions by the national government to make national governmental programs and institutions more responsive to local needs. Community empowerment for adaptive actions at the local level was minimal, due to the limited resources that have been devolved, reinforcing historic and current dependency on regional and national governmental institutions for those resources.