CONSERVING BIODIVERSITY AND WATER RESOURCES IN THE WESTERN AMAZON BASIN: ALTO MAYO BASIN, PERU AND ORITO, MOCOA, GUINEO AND ORTEGUÁZA BASINS, COLOMBIA
Research summary
General Objective: Promote ecosystems conservation through watershed management to improve human well-being and conserve high biodiversity Amazonian areas of Peru and Colombia.
Geographic location: The project will focus on five basins, the Alto Mayo River Basin in Peru, which includes the development of payment-for-water ecosystem services (PES) schemes in the Moyabamba, Rioja, and Yuracyacu subwatersheds, and the Orito, Mocoa, Guineo and Orteguáza River Basins in the Amazonian Piedmont in Colombia.
Project Area: The total area the project will cover in both countries is 1,408,317 has; The Orito, Mocoa, Guineo and Orteguáza River basins, cover 93,448 ha, 68,851 ha, 36,532 ha and 428,768 respectively, for a total area of 627,599 ha. The Alto Mayo River Basin covers approximately 780,718 hectares.
Beneficiaries: The project will benefit a total of approximately 460,000 people; 238,000 people in the Orito, Mocoa, Guineo and Orteguáza River basins and 221,642 inhabitants in the Alto Mayo River basin.
Duration: July 2012 – July 2017 (5 years)
Description
Develop baseline studies at a watershed level for the Alto Mayo and the Orito, Mocoa, Guineo and Orteguáza River Basins. This work will provide the scientific basis for watershed management. Under this component, we undertake the following activities:
a) Produce an assessment of water and aquatic resources use and needs by local populations and their dependence on their ecosystems, including present and potential threats and identification of all relevant and critical stakeholders.
b) Conduct a spatial and economic valuation analysis of ecosystem services and their contribution to local livelihoods, economic well-being and healthy and sustainable economies.
c) Examine hydrological and hydro-geological processes to understand river dynamics, the regional water cycle and associated ecosystems.
d) We will look for ways to collaborate and contribute to broader national and regional level studies that are looking to understand the regional hydrological dynamics of the Amazon basin Conduct specific hydrological, hydro-geological and biogeochemical studies to understand river and water dynamics for the most important populations in the basins.
e) Conduct studies to document the biodiversity of water and terrestrial ecosystems in the watersheds.
f) Conduct studies to assess socioeconomic aspects of the populations of the Orito, Mocoa, Guineo and Orteguáza river watersheds.
g) Identify conservation priority areas based on biodiversity representation and ecosystem services supply and develop socioeconomic feasibility analysis for their implementation.
More information
Research info
Research title
CONSERVING BIODIVERSITY AND WATER RESOURCES IN THE WESTERN AMAZON BASIN: ALTO MAYO BASIN, PERU AND ORITO, MOCOA, GUINEO AND ORTEGUÁZA BASINS, COLOMBIA
Research timeline
1.8.2012 - 1.6.2017
Keywords
Amazon Andes biodiversity ecohydrology Finland Water resources watershed
Region
Latin America
Countries
Colombia, Finland, Peru
Institution
Conservation International, Peru and Colombia
Head of research
Vary
Research team
Ulla Helimo, Erwin Palacios, Eddy Mendoza, Milagros Sandoval, Carmen Noriega, Claudio Schneider, Alonso Castro, Ivo Encomenderos, Jose Rodriguez, Arturo Rivas and varios consultants and experts.
Partners
Environmental Autohority of the regional government of San Martin, Peru; CORPOAMAZONIA, Colombia.
Contact information
Ulla Helimo
+51989137081
uhelimo@conservation.org
Open link
Record last updated
28.1.2014