paraguay: communities get their hands
wet
sobrevivencia/foe
paraguay
|
|
|
Unsustainable land use, in particular
deforestation and large-scale
agriculture, is largely responsible for
the degradation of inland waters like
this stream in the Alto Parana
basin
|
The Rio de la Plata water basin includes
the Paraguay, one of the last great rivers
on the planet that still runs totally free,
and the Paraná, one of the world’s largest
rivers. The floodplains and lakes formed by
these rivers house much of the region’s
natural wealth and are critical for soil
fertility and water management. A number of
wetlands of international importance are
also found here, as well as thousands of
biodiversityrich smaller rivers, brooks and
lakes.
These inland freshwater resources are
essential for food production and
sustainable development. Women, in many
traditional societies responsible for
securing drinking water for their families,
are directly dependent upon the quality and
quantity of this freshwater. But Rio de la
Plata’s drinking water sources are terribly
threatened by deforestation, pesticide use,
industrial and urban pollution, and huge
development projects. If this process
continues, the quality of life of millions
of people will deteriorate drastically, and
the poverty level of local communities will
increase.
Sobrevivencia/Friends of the Earth
Paraguay focuses its water campaigning on
the densely populated Los Altos area, which
provides freshwater to the region and
produces much of the food consumed in the
city of Asunción. We believe that active
and meaningful community participation is a
prerequisite for socially and ecologically
sustainable water management, and we assist
rural communities in recovering and
promoting traditional water technologies
and cultural practices, as well as
introducing environmentally-friendly new
technologies.
In particular, Friends of the Earth
works with two sustainable production
farms, and has established a 300-hectare
protected area, the Yvyraty forest,
containing original subtropical moist
forest humid forest and savannah at the
headwater of the Porä creek. The nearby
urban area and rural communities are wholly
dependent upon the conservation of this
forest for their water supply.
At the same time, Sobrevivencia works
with local communities and municipal
governments to develop and implement a
sustainable watershed management system for
the whole area. And at the regional level,
we coordinate the Rios Vivos coalition’s
inland water programme, which promotes a
collective Latin American vision for the
sustainability of inland water.
more information:
Rios Vivos:
www.riosvivos.org.br
