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Wetlands International launches a 10-year programme in a globally unique wetland system

March 21st, 2018
Wetlands International launches a 10-year programme in a globally unique wetland system
A map of the La Plata Basin, which embraces the Paraná, Paraguay, and Uruguay Rivers, and millions of people’s livelihoods. Wetlands International’s new Corredor Azul programme aims to safeguard it for all. Map by Wetlands International. Credit: Wetlands International

The Paraná River and the Paraguay River flow freely for 3,400 km benefiting 128 million South Americans, and its sustainable use is crucial for the prosperous development of the region

Brasilia, March 22th, 2018. During the World Water Forum, Wetlands International has launched a 10-year programme in the second largest wetland system in South America after the Amazon: La Plata Basin. The programme, named Corredor Azul, will focus on mobilising efforts to implement alternative development paths for the region by bringing together civil society organisations, the private sector, academia and governments. The programme will establish pilot projects in three areas: the Pantanal in Brazil, and the Ibera Marshes and the Paraná Delta in Argentina.

Wetlands International wants to prove that inclusive management practices, sustainable production of crops, and traditional livelihoods are among the solutions to safeguard and use one of the biggest freshwater wetland systems on earth, where the Paraná River and Paraguay River flow freely along 3,400 km. One hundred and twenty-eight million people in South America depend on this system's health. If rivers are dammed and tamed, benefits such as maintaining freshwater and food supplies for rural and urban areas will forever disappear.

Wetlands International launches a 10-year programme in a globally unique wetland system
The Pantanal provides homes for people and wildlife, seen here in an aerial photo by Mirian Coura Aveiro. Wetlands International’s new programme, Corredor Azul, aims to benefit both over the next decade. Credit: Mirian Coura Aveiro

The Corredor Azul programme encompasses the fourth largest wetland system in the world, whose heart is the Paraná River and the Paraguay River in South America. This system is unique because it flows from the humid tropics and enters the sea in humid temperate regions, making it one of the planet's richest biodiversity hotspots.

The wetland system around the Paraná River and Paraguay River faces a path of development that threatens its existence as it is today. For example, there are projections for 110 new hydroelectric plants in the Pantanal, high use of agro-chemicals in rice fields and forestry expansion in the Ibera Marshes, and large-scale agriculture and urban development in the Paraná Delta.

"We anticipate severe degradation of the region's biodiversity and environmental security for people within a couple of decades, said Daniel Blanco, Director of Wetlands International Latin America and Caribbean. This can result in a dramatic increase of catastrophic floods affecting people and property, the loss of economic productivity, enormous threats to local food and income security, and it will reduce our capacity to adapt to the effects of climate change" he concluded.

More information:
About the project: Corredor Azul (meaning ‘Blue Corridor’ in English)
Corredor Azul is a ten-year programme located in the Pantanal in Brazil, the Ibera Mashes and the Paraná Delta in Argentina. Its objective is to safeguard the unique biodiversity and well-being of millions of people living along the Paraná River and Paraguay River by maintaining a healthy and connected wetland system. Corredor Azul is a programme led by Wetlands International and supported by DOB Ecology.

About Wetlands International
Wetlands International is an independent, not-for-profit network organisation active in five continents. Its mission is to safeguard and restore wetlands for people and nature. Wetlands International brings together knowledge, policy and practice. It connects the local with the global and enables society to act.
www.wetlands.org

For further information contact:
Mira-Bai Simón Muciño, Head of Communications and Advocacy,
+31 (0) 318 66 09 27, Mira-Bai.Simon@wetlands.org

Provided by Wetlands International

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