Using participatory impact chains for assessing regional climate risks and local particularities: A case study in Patagonia drylands

Abstract

Climate hazards impact pastoral communities due to their dependency on nature for theirprimary livelihoods. This study analyzes climate risk in ten pastoral livestock farming communitiesin Patagonia drylands of Argentina. A participatory impact chains (PICs) approach wasused as a qualitative and participatory bottom-up methodology allowing for the identificationand contextualization of climate hazards, exposure, intermediate impacts and vulnerabilitydimensions through knowledge co-production with local stakeholders. Results show that,although drought is the predominant climate hazard across the region, its impacts are heterogeneous and mediated by local socio-environmental conditions. The analysis underlines thatvulnerability is not evenly distributed but is shaped by specific historical, political and environmentalpathways. These findings challenge standardized top-down risk assessments, andhighlight the need for adaptation strategies that are context-sensitive, territorially differentiatedand that integrate local knowledge. The study also contributes to advancing qualitative participatorymethodologies for climate risk assessment in pastoral systems in arid areas of LatinAmerica, showing the regional heterogeneity and social inequalities.