Variations in water resources availability at the Ecuadorian paramo due to land-use changes

In the highest part of the basin of the El Angel River (Northern Ecuador), there is an ecological reserve that has the same name of the watershed. The anthropogenic activities that take place in the basin concerning productive effects have influenced a change in land use, which has caused variations in supply and demand for water, so therefore it requires the analysis of vulnerability for taking decisions on water management using hydrological modeling tools. The purpose of this investigation was to develop a methodology for analyzing vulnerability of water resource with the generation of different scenarios of simulation of land-use changes during the years 2000 and 2014. The results demonstrate that when there are land-use changes, the water vulnerability increases. To cope with climate change and variability, it is necessary to generate adaptation and mitigation actions for water users.