Analysis of vulnerability of the Río Misantla basin to extreme hydrometeorological phenomena

• Published in: Revista bío ciencias Vol. 7
• Main Authors: Rodríguez-Hernández, L.D., Valdés-Rodríguez, O.A., Ellis, E.A., Armenta-Montero, S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Portuguese
• Published: Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit 2020
• Subjects: Biology; SWAT; environmental services; Vulnerabilidad; deforestación; balance hídrico; Vulnerability; water balance; deforestation; servicios ambientales
• ISSN: 2007-3380; 2007-3380
• DOI: 10.15741/revbio.07.e900

ABSTRACT The Río Misantla basin in Veracruz, Mexico is a region with high vulnerability to the impact of extreme hydrometeorological phenomena, with disastrous effects on both natural and human systems. Recently, these effects have been augmented by poor management within the basin, changes in land use and the lack of landscape recovery practices. This study analyzed the impact of changing land use on the hydric balance of the Río Misantla basin and its relationship to increased vulnerability to meteorological phenomena. We used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool integrated with Arcgis 10.1, obtaining a model efficiency of 0.61 and a coefficient of determination of 0.89. The results reflect the fact that forests have a direct effect on the hydrological cycle and the behavior of the basin. In the absence of forests, the basin becomes more vulnerable to the impact of heavy rains, storms or hurricanes while, in contrast, the presence of this vegetation protects the basin from these events and decreases the potential for flooding and sediment dragging. We conclude that appropriate management of the basin will reduce its vulnerability to climate change. Therefore, it is necessary to recover and restore deforested lands and to adequately regulate areas of agriculture and livestock production.