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Amazon Basin GIWA Regional Assessment 40B (1,1) -1- Cover 40b_only.indd 2004-04-05, 14:07:25 Global International Waters Assessment Amazon Basin GIWA Regional assessment 40b Barthem, R. B., Charvet-Almeida, P., Montag, L. F. A. and A. E. Lanna Global International Waters Assessment Regional assessments Global International Waters Assessment Regional assessment 40b Amazon Basin GIWA report production Series editor: Ulla Li Zweifel Report editor: David Souter Editorial assistance: Johanna Egerup and Malin Karlsson Maps & GIS: Niklas Holmgren Design & graphics: Joakim Palmqvist Global International Waters Assessment Amazon Basin, GIWA Regional assessment 40b Published by the University of Kalmar on behalf of United Nations Environment Programme © 2004 United Nations Environment Programme ISSN 1651-9402 University of Kalmar SE-391 82 Kalmar Sweden United Nations Environment Programme PO Box 30552, Nairobi, Kenya This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part and in any form for educational or non-profit purposes without special permission from the copyright holder, provided acknowledgement of the source is made. No use of this publication may be made for resale or for any other commercial purpose whatsoever without prior permission in writing from the United Nations Environment Programme. CITATIONS When citing this report, please use: UNEP, 2004. Barthem, R. B., Charvet-Almeida, P., Montag, L. F. A. and Lanna, A.E. Amazon Basin, GIWA Regional assessment 40b. University of Kalmar, Kalmar, Sweden. DISCLAIMER The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of UNEP. The designations employed and the presentations do not imply the expressions of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNEP or cooperating agencies concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or areas or its authority, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. This publication has been peer-reviewed and the information herein is believed to be reliable, but the publisher does not warrant its completeness or accuracy. Printed and bound in Sweden by Sunds Tryck Öland AB. CONTENTS Contents Abbreviations and acronyms 9 Executive summary 11 Regional definition 14 Boundaries of the Amazon region 14 Physical characteristics 15 Socio-economic characteristics 19 Assessment 22 Freshwater shortage 22 Pollution 24 Habitat and community modification 26 Unsustainable exploitation of fish and other living resources 28 Global change 30 Priority concerns 31 Causal chain analysis of the Madeira River Basin 34 Introduction 34 System description 35 Causal model and links 38 Policy options of the Madeira River Basin 43 Definition of the problems 43 Construction of the policy options 45 Identification of the recommended policy options 46 Likely performance of recommended policies 46 References 48 Annexes 53 Annex I List of contributing authors and organisations 53 Annex II Detailed scoring tables 54 Annex III List of important water-related programmes in the region 58 Annex IV List of conventions and specific laws that affect water use in the region 59 The Global International Waters Assessment i The GIWA methodology vii CONTENTS Abbreviations and acronyms ACA Amazon Conservation Association ACT Amazon Cooperation Treaty ANA Brazilian National Water Agency BOD Biological Oxygen Demand CENDEPESCA Bolivian Centre for Fisheries Development COBRAPHI Brazilian Committee for the International Hydrological Programme EMBRAPA Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation FAO Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations HiBAm Hydrology and Geochemistry of the Amazon Basin IBAMA Brazilian Institute of Environment IBGE Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics INPA The National Institute for Research in the Amazon INPE Brazilian National Institute for Space Research LBA Large Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia MERCOSUR Mercado Común del Sur (Southern Common Market) MINPES Peruvian Ministry of Fisheries MPEG The State of Pará Emílio Goeldi Museum PPG7 Protection of the Brazilian Rainforest PROVARZEA The Amazon Floodplains (Varzea) Project SECTAM The Pará State Secretariat for Science, Technology and Environment SENAMHI National Service of Meteorology SINCHI The Amazonic Institute of Scientific Research UA Amazonas University UFPA Federal University of Pará UFPB Federal University of Paraíba UNEP United Nations Environment Programme ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS 9 List of figures Figure 1 Geographical location of the Amazon, Orinoco and Paraná basins. 14 Figure 2 The Amazon Basin. 15 Figure 3 The drainage basins of the tributaries comprising the Amazon Basin.. 16 Figure 4 The main Amazon habitats. 19 Figure 5 A small urban stream blocked by solid wastes.. 25 Figure 6 The rivers of the Amazon Basin carry a large volume of trees, pieces of wood, branches, leaves and roots. 25 Figure 7 The Balbina Dam on the Uatumã River.. 27 Figure 8 Model indicating the inter-linkage and synergies between the concerns. 33 Figure 9 Deforested areas in the Madeira Basin. 35 Figure 10 Anthropogenic pressure in the Madeira River Basin. 36 Figure 11 Gold mining activity in the Madeira River headwaters. 36 Figure 12 Transport of timber (mahogany) in the Peruvian rivers. 37 Figure 13 Fishing activity in the Madre de Dios River. 37 Figure 14 Madeira River Basin causal chain analysis on Pollution. 41 Figure 15 Madeira River Basin causal chain analysis on Habitat and community modification. 42 List of tables Table 1 The Amazon River and its main tributaries. 16 Table 2 Countries within the Amazon Basin. 16 Table 3 Scoring table for the Amazon region. 22 Table 4 Population in relation to river basins.. 35 Table 5 Basic sanitation indicators in the Brazilian part of Madeira and Amazon basins. 38 Table 6 Water availability in the Brazilian part of the Madeira and Amazon basins.. 38 Table 7 Water demand in the Brazilian part of the Madeira and Amazon basins.. 38 Table 8 Organic load in the Brazilian part of the Madeira and Amazon basins. 38 10 GIWA REGIONAL ASSESSMENT 40B AMAZON BASIN Executive summary The Amazon Basin is the largest basin on the planet and also one of the are the most important products exported from the Amazon Basin. least understood. Its drainage area covers more than one third of the Timber exploitation focuses on a few species, particularly mahogany South American continent, and its discharge contributes almost one (Swietenia macrophylla). The primary environmental consequence of fifth of the total discharge of all rivers of the world. The headwaters of this exploitation is the depletion of natural populations of the exploited the Amazon River are located about 100 km from the Pacific Ocean and species. The construction of roads to facilitate the extraction of timber it runs more than 6 000 km before draining into the Atlantic Ocean. In from within the forest also provides access to farmers and other groups addition, the Amazon has 15 tributaries, including the Tocantins River, that colonise and expand into these newly accessible areas. Mining, that measure more than 1 000 km in length. The Madeira and Negro particularly of alluvial gold, and oil extraction activities are scattered rivers are the most important tributaries, contributing with more than throughout the Amazon region. The main environmental problems one third of the total water discharge. The Amazon Basin contains associated with mining are pollution and increased suspended a complex system of vegetation, including the most extensive and sediment loads caused by erosion which leads to the degradation preserved rainforest in the world. The rainforest, known as the Amazon of downstream habitats. Fishing is also an extractive activity that is Rainforest, is not confined to the Amazon Basin but also extends into traditional and important in the Amazon plains. Fish is a source of cheap, the Orinoco Basin and other small basins located between the mouths high quality protein for inhabitants of the Amazon Basin. Some selected of the Orinoco.
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