Amazon Waters year 2 • Number 5 • march, 2014 CLOSE – UP Celebrating World Water Day In celebration of World Water Day, the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) held a Special Meeting of the Co- ordinating Commission of the Amazon Cooperation Council (CCOOR) with ambas- sadors of ACTO Member Countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela. The meeting was held on March 21, in Brasília. The aim of the event was to carry out a joint reflection on the importance of water resources in the Amazon basin with all eight Amazon countries. The meeting was attend- ed by Brazilian authorities, senior officials from Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and international organization representatives. This year, World Water Day theme is Water and Energy. Global data in the 2014 UN report on water resources reveals that 90% of energy production is water inten- sive. Energy production is responsible Brazil: ambassadors from ACTO Member Countries met in Brasília for around 15% of all water withdrawals; meanwhile, 768 million people lack access ACTO plays a very important role in sense, ACTO has also opened its doors to to safe drinking water. these regional initiatives, since member ancestral knowledge. In this context, the President of the countries share the Amazon basin, the Representatives of ACTO Member CCOOR, Amb. Diego Molero, opened the world’s largest water reservoir. It rep- Countries reflected on the main chal- meeting by emphasizing the importance of resents a valuable opportunity for working lenges facing the Amazon basin as to water to humans and the environment. In his together in the integrated and sustainable water resources; in this sense, ACTO is also speech, ACTO Secretary General Amb. Robby management of water resources, hence moving ahead with strategic measures for Ramlakhan highlighted ACTO’s contribu- the importance of carrying out the Project countries’ adaptation to climate change, tion to the preservation of Amazon water for basin water resources’ Strategic Action through GEF Amazon Project activities. resources and tropical forests through two Programme (SAP) through consensus. Regarding the next World Water major projects: the Monitoring Deforestation, The meeting also highlighted that wa- Forum, to be held in Brasília in 2018, Land Use and Land Use Change in the Pan-Am- ter is a strategic political issue and should representatives from Brazil’s Ministry azonian Forest Project, and the Integrated and be considered a human right, just as food of Foreign Affairs reiterated its support Sustainable Management of Transboundary security. to OTCA, expressing their interest that Water Resources in the Amazon River Basin, Participants agreed that knowledge of the Amazon cooperation organization considering Variability and Climate Change Amazon basin natural resources is the first participate in the Agenda that is being GEF Amazon Project. step to maintaining sovereignty. In this prepared for the event. NEWS FROM COMPONENT II Valuing the wealth of aquatic ecosystems in the Colombian Amazon The waters of Caquetá River, in the Colombian Amazon Understanding Amazon natural re- ment of Caquetá. Its basin includes six How are aquatic ecosystems sources in several critical basin areas is Colombian Departments, covering 1,200 used in La Pedrera? one of the key tasks of the GEF Amazon kilometers; the rest of it covers the state of The Amazon basin is the freshwater Project - Water resources and climate Amazonas, in Brazil, where it becomes the system that harbours the world’s great- change. One of the places where aquatic Japurá River, flowing into the Amazon. est wealth of fish. According to 1995 ecosystems are being studied is La Pe- Caquetá river connects numerous data from Almeida/Val, there are around drera, in the lower Caquetá river, in the Colombian communities with each other 3,200 species of fish in the basin. There is Amazon region of Colombia, on the bor- and with cities such as Leticia, capital of also a wide variety of habitats in the ba- der with Brazil. the Department of Amazonas, in Colom- sin – in rivers, streams, floodplains, lakes There, the GEF Amazon Project has bia. People use wooden canoes, with or canals –, each with its own particular carried out research concerning the use of paddles or motors – as well as motor characteristics. water resources, the quality of water, types boats –, on the river. “Artisanal fishing is the population’s of fishing, means of transport and the rela- La Pedrera is the main commercial main activity in the region; La Pedrera is an tionship between local people and these port in the Colombian Amazon, where the important distribution center. Around 500 resources. Research was carried out by population is supplied with commodities, tonnes of fish are caught every year; 80% biologist Liliana Palma Silva, who worked including drugs and supplies for its activi- of this production is for selling and 20% for with activity coordinator Professor Cleber ties. Water for human consumption comes consumption,” explains project consultant Alho, PhD in Ecology. from rainwater and, during the drought, Liliana Palma. from the Caquetá river itself. In general, the In La Pedrera, commercial fishing is Getting to know the La Pedrera river water quality of the region’s Amazonian based on big catfish such as the dorado port in the Colombian Amazon aquatic environments is good, although and the lechero, among others; these fish The Amazon region covers a third of the mercury that is used for cleaning gold are sold in Bogotá and Villavicencio. There Colombia. Caquetá river is about 2,200 and is extracted with bulldozers is still one are also laws for periods in which fishing of kilometers long, according to the Depart- of their main pollutants. certain species is banned. 2 A fishery system for the Colombian Amazon Research on the biology of local fisheries provides criteria for a fishery system in the Colombian Amazon; in this way, information about species’ breeding periods would be obtained, and conse- quently the use of nets during the fishing ban would be prohibited. This is because at least six species are caught on a per- manent basis – a great threat to local fish populations. Researchers have identified new conservation areas for the dorado and the lechero in the Caquetá river. For a binational strategy with the Brazilian border One of the aspects of the Colombi- an-Brazilian border that should be high- lighted is a feeling of belonging to the Fishing with fishhooks in Caquetá Amazon river – which culturally brings together the people of both countries, 16 species on sale depend on the art of fishing and on the re- establishing bonds of brotherhood and Fishing is the main socio-economic as- source supply, which is subject to Caquetá solidarity that are very typical of the Ama- pect of La Pedrera. “The GEF Amazon Proj- river’s hydrological periods. zon region. ect analyzed this fishing activity in detail, The most effective way of fishing is with Therefore, GEF Amazon Project re- with canoes, fishing gear and fishermen’s mesh nets, which account for over 40% of searchers consider it relevant to share knowledge. Thus, using we observed that total fish caught. Local fishermen also use measures for the protection of aquatic the average number of canoes coming in fishhooks for medium-sized catfish; this ac- ecosystems. Similarly, it would be helpful daily to sell fish at the port of La Pedrera is counts for 32.9% of fish caught. According to disseminate and share agreements 5.4. This average yields 136.3 kilos of fish to Project experts, there is a decrease in fish concerning fisheries – which are annually per canoe, in a sample studied during 7 production in the region. reviewed – with riverside communities, days,” said Liliana Palma. thus protecting streams and lakes. In this week of observation, researchers Protecting biodiversity: counted 16 species of fish being sold, includ- the key to Amazon sustainability Taking advantage of fish waste ing large fish such as the amarillo, the dorado, The GEF Amazon Project observed to improve revenue the lechero and other smaller catfish such as that a high water flow occurs in Los Chor- In order to improve the income of vil- the pintadillo, the baboso, and the barbacha- ros, on the banks of the Caquetá, making lagers and fishermen in the region, project ti, among others. Fish with scales such as the it hard for fish to swim past the many consultant Liliana Palma said: “We ob- burra, the cachorro, and the gamitana (a food rocks. This place is often used for catch- served that the viscera of large catfish are of the gods, according to the Anthem of the ing large catfish. The presence of many thrown to feed scavengers. We need to give Department of Amazonas) are also commer- fishermen prevents fish from swimming this fish waste some other use; it could be cially important. Of all species, the lechero upstream, and may lead to short-term given to poultry, to fish or as a soil fertilizer.” (302 kilos) and the dorado (190 kg) have the resource depletion. highest biomass. Promoting ornamental fishing Strategic actions for sustainable fisheries in Ornamental fishing may have greater How do the fishermen of La Pedrera work? the Colombian Amazon commercial potential in the Colombian During the visit of GEF Amazon Project Research by the GEF Amazon Project Amazon, but it requires training and invest- technical staff, researchers counted 26 on the use of aquatic ecosystems in La Pe- ment processes, since at present catches fishermen – an average 3.7 fishermen a drera proposed a series of actions for pre- are made to order. Thus, the GEF Amazon day, 95% of them permanent and 5%, oc- serving aquatic biodiversity and making Project continues to generate knowledge casional fishermen.