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  • Project details

  • Implementing Agency:
    OAS, Intergovernemtnal Coordinating Committee for the la Plata Basin
    Implementing Agency and Partnering Organizations:
    GEF Trust Fund, GEF IA/ExA, Government, Others
    Summary:

    ###### Background

    The la Plata River Basin, extending over some 3.1 million km2, is one of the largest river basins in the world. The Basin’s rivers drain approximately one-fifth of the South American continent. Water and nutrients from the central regions of South America discharge through the la Plata River to the Southwest Atlantic
    Large Marine Ecosystem (LME).

    A large wetland corridor links the Pantanal (in the headwaters of the Paraguay River) with the Delta del Parana, at its outlet to the la Plata River. This constitutes a river system with great biological diversity and productivity. The la Plata Basin also has important groundwater resources, which mostly coincide with the
    Guaraní Aquifer System (1,190,000 km2 in extent), one of the largest continental groundwater reservoirs in the world. The Yrenda-Toba-Tarijeño (SAYTT) Aquifer System is another potentially important groundwater resource, among others.

    The Basin is in a complex climate region, with important “gaps” in the available data, which generate uncertainties for the modeling of spatial, temporal and global interrelations. The climate is a determining factor for the heterogeneous hydrological system. The global importance of the problems as perfectly described in the comprehensive study of the Plata basin, carried out by the OAS in the 1970s, prompted the GEF to finance different projects tackling major issues (sedimentation, protection of headwaters, coastal and marine pollution, groundwater matters) allowing strengthening of policies for ensuring integrated water resources management including ground water management, biodiversity protection or soil degradation mitigation. These projects although successful in terms of dealing with specific concerns, do represent uncoordinated opportunities in terms of the broader Basin. The proposed project provides the linkages and
    context for those ongoing and previous activities developing the coordination framework.

    To strengthen trans-boundary cooperation among the riparian country governments of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay to ensure management of shared water resources in an integrated sustainable manner, within the context of climate variability and change, while capitalizing on development opportunities

    Project Components:

    * Component 1) Strengthening basin-wide cooperation capacity for integrated
    hydro-climate management, is comprised of three sub-components: Harmonizing the legal and institutional framework; Facilitating stakeholder participation, communications, and education and Monitoring and evaluation.
    of the project.
    * Component 2) Strategic Action Program formulation, is comprised of three sub-components:Promoting Integrated Basin Management; Implementing pilot demonstration projects and Preparing the Strategic Action Program.
    * Component 3) Adaptation to climate change, is comprised of one foundational activity: creating an Integrated Hydrometeorological-climatic Forecasting System at the Basin level to generate meteorological, hydrological and climatic forecasts and scenarios.

    Expected Outputs:

    The goal of this project is to support the initial implementation of the Framework Program, by formulating a Strategic Action Program (SAP)for the la Plata Basin, and creating the institutional and legal framework, and technical capacity for its implementation. The Framework Program integrates on-going projects and programs
    executed under the la Plata Basin Treaty coordinated by the Inter-governmental Committee for the la Plata Basin (CIC,) and by bi-national and tri-national committees created under the la Plata Treaty. More particularly, the Program integrates on-going and under-preparation projects supported by the GEF for addressing specific environmental issues. Government investments, private investments, and associated financing are all taken into account within the execution of the Framework Program.

    The project contributes to a higher objective set forth by the five signatory countries to the la Plata Basin Treaty--Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay--as coordination of actions and investment in the la Plata Basin for the sustainable management of its water resources. Consequently, baseline investment is at the essence of this Project.

    Finally, the project initiates efforts on adaptation to the Climate Variability and Climate Change, with the ultimate goal of mitigating their negative impacts and capitalizing on the opportunities that they provide. Thus, while coordinating all water management related actions, it introduces adaptation to climate variability and change as a cross-cutting issue, mainstreaming it throughout all projects and actions.

    Contacts:

    Isabelle van der Beck
    Telephone: 202-458-3772
    Email: isabelle.vanderbeck@unep.org

    Project Status:
    n/a
    Primary Beneficiaries:
    n/a
    Project Details
    Funding Source:
    GEF Trust Fund, Government, Others
    Financing Amount:
    10,730,000
    Cofinancing Total:
    50,560,000
    Total Amounts:
    6,200,000
    Resources:
    Global Environment Facility
    File(s):
    05-09-07 Revised Plata SAP FP - Project document.pdf
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