Bert De Bievre, Miguel Saravia, Luis Acosta

Chiang Mai, september 2011

Drivers in the Andes

Relevant conditions in Andes

Relevant conditions in Andes (1)

(very) high mountains with a lot of people in them

Extremely variable conditions

Altitude range0 - 6746 (masl)

Bolivia 252 - 6542Colombia 0 - 5750Ecuador 0 - 6267Perú 0 - 6746

Precipitation range

31 – 9000 (mm/year)

Bolivia 200 - 5000Colombia 300 – 9000Ecuador 125 - 6000Perú 31 – 3838

Source: Principales indicadores de la Unión de Naciones Suramericanas1998 – 2007 (SGCA, 2008c), (PNUMA & SGCA, 2003), Fondo Mundial para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (WWF).

INDICATOR BOLIVIA COLOMBIA ECUADOR PERÚCAN

(2005)

Population (millions)

9,4 44,9 13,2 27,3 94,8

Urban (%) 64 77 63 73 72Rural (%) 36 23 37 27 28Data from CEPALSTAT (CEPAL, 2008)

Relevant conditions in Andes (2)

Mountain rivers with limited regulation capacity

Very high temporal variability of water availability in sources:Small catchments in case of high altitude offtakesHigh dependence on few regulation mechanisms: peatlands, glaciersLittle regulation infrastructure

Relevant conditions in Andes (3)

Water demand at high altitudesDependent on regulation mechanisms at even higher altitude, where groundwater regulation is almost unexistent

Relevant conditions in Andes (4)

• Water demand in lower river reach very variable (Peru’s coastal desert: very high, Amazon tributaries: very low)

Source: ANA Perú 2010

Relevant conditions in Andes (5)

• Traditional knowledge and technologies to manage natural resources

Important drivers in Andes

Important drivers in Andes (1)

Urbanization: drastic increase in urban population, rural population more or less stable. Causes geographical concentration of water demand

Source: Presentation “Water Management and Climate Change”, by Axel Dourojeanni, Lima 2010.

Source: Estrategia Andina para GIRH, CAN 2010.

Important drivers in Andes (2)

Free trade agreements boost agroindustry for export, but large differences between countries

Important drivers in Andes (3)

Land degradation: loss of regulation capacity in mountain catchments

• Some spontaneous recuperation in abandoned land (migration)• Doubts on reversibility

Important drivers in Andes (3)

Land degradation: loss of regulation capacity in mountain catchments

Source: Wouter Buytaert, 2010.

Proyecto Cerro Negro

Proyecto Maqui Maqui

Proyecto La Quinua

Proyecto CarachugoÌ

Ì Ì

Ì

Ì

Proyecto Yanacocha Norte

ÌProyecto Yanacocha Sur

Cajamarca

#

Ubicación antiguaLaguna Yanacocha

Coordenadas Proyección UTMDatum: Psad 56

LAGUNA YANACOCHA

ANTES DE LAS OPERACIONES MINERAS (1992)

UBICACIÓN (Composit 1999)

AHORA (2006)

N

Important drivers in Andes (3)

Important drivers in Andes (3)

Important drivers in Andes (4)

Climate change: vertical altitudinal moves certain, everything else very uncertain

Important drivers in Andes (4)

Climate change: vertical altitudinal moves certain, everything else very uncertain

GCr Par PnH PnX BMs BMsd Arb PrP

Región A1B.1039

Are

a(K

m2 )

-10

00

10

02

00

30

0

PérdidaEstableGanancia

GCr Par PnH PnX BMs BMsd Arb PrP

Región A1B.4069

Are

a(K

m2 )

-10

00

10

02

00

30

04

00 Pérdida

EstableGanancia

Projected changes in ecosystems area: the higher ecosystems only loose, the lower ones loose and gain (Cuesta et al., 2010)

Important drivers in Andes (4)

Climate change: vertical altitudinal moves certain, everything else very uncertain

Range of projected annual rainfall

Responses for Andes

Responses (1)

Urbanization: focus on catchments supplying water to large cities (e.g. water funds), campaigning for reduction of demand, large infrastructure to bring in water from further away.

Responses (2)

Agroindustry: Interest for catchment, very recent (!), especially Peru

Example: Design of PES in Rio Cañete basin

Responses (3)

Land degradation: conservation of critical ecosystems (paramo, puna wetlands), in lower areas little response

Responses (4)

Climate change: adaptation actions

Whole lot of projects, governmental at national and local scale, and non-governmental

Nothing really new: Integrated Water Resources Management Integrated Catchment Management Typically reforestation with low positive hydrological impact or

even negative impact

Responses (5)

From Payment for Environmental Services to Benefit Sharing: Inventory shows that few cases in Andes

meet criteria to be Payment for Environmental Services

Large variety of Benefit Sharing MechanismsStrong resistance to PES in countries like

Ecuador and Bolivia, now almost forbidden by law

Responses (6)

Integrated Water Resources Management

Efforts to update legislation and institutional framework– New Water Law, without success in most countries– Framework for basin organizations/authorities

In absence of legal framework, Municipalities establish partnerships to manage catchments

Contacts:bert.debievre@condesan.orgmiguel.saravia@condesan.orgwww.condesan.org