Percepción social del riesgo: problemáticas costeras y vulnerabilidades en Playa Magagna (Chubut).

The aim of this paper is to explore the usefulness of social perception of risk as a theoretical-methodological framework, both in risk assessment and in the design of problem management strategies. The work includes the review and inquiry of social perception of risk theoretical as well as conceptual frameworks, and presents a case study: perception of coastal issues and vulnerabilities in Playa Magagna. Two different diagnoses were carried out: a technical and a perceived one. The first diagnosis was based on the identification of problems, conflicts, coastal attributes and vulnerability conditions regarding the risk of coastal erosion, by means of field observations and bibliographic investigation. Perceived diagnosis consisted in analyzing perceptions shared by local residents, which were built on these same variables and using in-depth interviews to key informants. The finding of discordant results between both diagnoses indicates the need for the inclusion of the imaginary of risk built by the community, in order to arrive at a comprehensive diagnosis of the problem, and at the same time, promote its articulation in management processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]