The Pilcomayo River Basin Argentina Yangareko ( Janis Alcorn, Alejo Zarzycki, Alonzo Zarzycki, Luis Maria de la Cruz) Governance and Ecosystems Management for the CONservation of BIOdiversity www.gemconbio.eu
The Pilcomayo Basin 07
The Pilcomayo Basin covers 200,000 Km2 (70,000 Km2 in Argentina) Ranges from High Andes ecosystems with Andean Bear and Condor down through the foothill transitional area towards dryer Chaco forest elements, such as the Giant Armadillo Includes one of the world s largest inland deltas - globally important site for migratory birds Many rare and endangered species that adjust to seasonal cycles of flood and drought Agriculture, NTFP, cattle, fishing, hunting.
Some 148,000 people live in the Argentina section, majority in poverty High diversity of land tenure arrangements; tenurial rights are in conflict throughout the river basin Traditionally, indigenous communities shifted their location in response to the changing river landscape
Extreme changes over past century: violent colonization, in-migration of people and cattle In past 20 years: rapid modernization The ecosystem is now under threat from new river management infrastructure for irrigation of soy and cattle production; pollution from oil and mining are also issues Old governance and cultural patterns were disrupted; intrusion of modern state apparatus
In the past decade, efforts have been made to reconnect these older governance structures and knowledge with the modern state; good legal and policy framework in theory So far, implementation has been weak, because of lacking involvement of civil society, lack of capacity of local groups and democratic deficit in local government (clientelism) Civil society poorly organized; marginalized indigenous communities have organized themselves to interface with the Trinational Pilcomayo River Basin Commission
The Parapeti River Basin Bolivia Yangareko (Janis Alcorn, Alejo Zarzycki, Alonzo Zarzycki) Governance and Ecosystems Management for the CONservation of BIOdiversity www.gemconbio.eu
Bolivia Gran Chaco Ecoregion 07
The Basin covers 61,000 Km2 in Bolivia The Parapeti runs from semi-humid forested Andean foothills down into Chaco dry forest where it spreads out into seasonal wetlands in Kaa Iya National Park (the largest tract of dry forest remaining in the world) Where the river ends, vast dunes and blowing sand fill the river channel in which the seasonal waters flow above ground for six months of the year High biodiversity area, where Amazonian elements mix with Chaco elements
Home to some 100,000 people, ~ half are indigenous; a majority live in extreme poverty Mosaic of different land tenures: ranchers, titled indigenous territories, peasant farm communities, indigenous communities indentured on rancher s lands, mining and oil-gas concessions, protected areas Area relatively isolated, despite centuries of colonization, the ecosystem remained relatively intact until 2000
Management of the Parapeti is central to the management of Kaa Iya, but occurs outside its borders; the ecosystem in danger of slow erosion with increasing development in the region Deforestation upriver, overgrazing, expanding urban development, intensive agriculture in Mennonite settlements, diverting river for irrigation. Sharp impacts of mining Introduction of land reform and local government laws in mid 1990s: Guarani Isoso people requested declaration of Kaa Iya National Park in Lower Parapeti as co-managed area
Poor project design, imposition of external criteria by financial institutions; government turnover, lack of attention to env issues in development plans Local campesino and indigenous populations have long been marginalized from participation in government management decisions. Local participation is subverted by aproved workshop participants lists etc Regulatory tools are largely coercive and bureaucratic, and lack consistent implementation
37 communities of one sub-basin have prepared recommendations and objectives for management Reforestation is resulting in less erosion and better flood control, bringing the river back into equilibrium downriver Viability of such initiatives will depend on firm and consistent political will from the state and open dialogue with diverse interest groups
Characteristics of governance systems that correlate best with conservation and equity: Horizontal links, with decisions based on local knowledge and concerns Interactive dialogue with participation of civil society Local control over management decisions Good policies and laws are inadequate in a context of powerful industries, patronalism and clientelism of government, and misguided policies of multilateral actors implemented within a flawed economic model 07
Lessons learned Laws and sectoral policies fail if there is no long term commitment to a policy of dialogue and negotiation Vision of sustainability must integrate input from different experts (scientific and local knowledge) and be discussed with interest groups Yangareko stated such processes, but this can only demonstrate possibilities. Only state institutions have the long term convening power to negotiate between interest groups with different levels of power 07
MOVIE CGRB: Watershed committee formed spontaneously in 2004 by 37 nonindigenous communities in the upper Parapeti River Exchange trip taken by the CGRB watershed committee to the downriver Guarani indigenous territory of Isoso 07