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Project Description

The South American Pantanal region is an excellent backdrop to generate discussion on the issues of water management, regional sustainable development, and climate change. But more importantly, there is a renewed need of innovative ideas and great teamwork to achieve feasible plans for promoting sustainability in this region. The region needs to work on a balanced act to keep harmony between the natural, physical and social systems interacting in the Upper Paraguay River Basin, which is the ‘nervous’ system of the heart of South America.

The main question to be answered by the Pantanal mini-project participants is: Does the Pantanal Program ensure ecological integrity and sustainable growth in the Pantanal and Upper Paraguay Basin?

The objective of the exercises will be to analyze the Pantanal Program and propose activities in support of its implementation, by looking at the following aspects:

• How will information flow from government to community and users?
• What tools can be used to centralize and disseminate information?
• Will it achieve community participation? What about sustainable development?
• Will it act as a force to promote adequate and sustainable agriculture practices, mining operations?

As part of the Pantanal mini-project, participants will explore issues related to:

The Natural and Physical System – What is Available

Land use/cover change

Lecture: vegetation cover and the water cycle. Vegetation and throughfall, evapotranspiration and vegetation, infiltration, erosion/sedimentation.
Exercise: Analize the Cuiabá River data. Taquari and São Lourenço Rivers. Teamwork and discussion.

Climate variability and change

Lecture: South American Climate – Regional aspects of global warming. The El Niño fenomena and other cyclic variations.
Exercise: Analysis of the Paraguay River 100 years rainfall data at Ladário. Natural cycles, human impacts. Teamwork and discussion.

Health of aquatic systems

Lecture: What is water quality? What is the health of an aquatic system? How is determined? Monitoring strategies.
Exercise: The health of aquatic systems and the Pantanal Program. Will we know something about aquatic health systems? Teamwork and discussion.

The Needs of the Social System

Population growth and urbanization

The Upper Paraguay Basin urbanization in the last 50 years. Population and water demand growth in the face of declining water quality in urban centers.
Exercise: The expected grow of Cuiabá city population: increase in water demand and sewage. The fate of the Cuiabá and Coxipó River. Teamwork with the actual city data. Group discussion.

Governance - Regulatory and institutional issues

Federal and State laws. The role of the Ministry of Environment and its Secretary of Water Resources (MMA/SRH); the newly created National Water Agency (ANA); Mato Grosso Environmental Foundation (FEMA-MT); Mato Grosso do Sul Secretary of Environment (SEMA-MS) Agriculture and mining in the Cerrado: the need for a comprehensive land-water policy.
Exercise: Evaluation of the Pantanal Program and the attribution of water rights and the water fee. Teamwork and discussion on this theme.

Conflict resolution and community participation

Actual community participation. Example: the civil society and the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway Project (Hidrovía). The Basin Committee: the actual CIBHAP. The basin committee to be implemented as part of the Pantanal Program. Teamwork and discussion. Essay writing.

Two new challenges in water resources management

HIDROVIA – Should the river get changed to transport goods, or should the transport methods be adapted to the river to provoke the minimum impact possible?

PRESERVATION AND RESTORATION - What is the price of preservation/conservation versus restoration – Comparison with the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). Is the Mercosul willing to pay 7.8 billion US dollars down the road at the expense of environmental degradation?

Use of Technology in Water Resources Management. GIS – A tool for displaying spatial correlation of complex water management problems and what is being done in the Pantanal. PantanalGIS, as an example of a regional GIS system to unite efforts and promote ecosystem-based decision-making.

Exercise: Discussion and write-up on the above subjects.

Mini-Project Timeline

• July 23: Participants will select a mini-project.
• July 24 – 26: Ecological background of the Pantanal region, including human communities, and main threats. The ecological background will be presented as a lecture with slides and transparencies. For the participants to identify the threats we will use the outline of the TNC method used in the GEF Alto Paraguay Assessment. This will be done through mini workshops (4 groups of 3) and final debate. It is expected that each step of this process will be documented by the participants.
• July 27 – 31: The Pantanal program: a survey. Lecture on the Pantanal program. How the objectives and actions to be addressed the threats? This will be done through smaller groups or teams (4 groups of 3) and final debates. Also documented by the participants.
• August 1 – 2: The entire group prepares for the August 3 session when they will present their results to the others. A part of the group will also dedicate to assemble the material and produce a 15-20 page report for the seminar. This should be simple and well documented process. This article could be reviewed by some of the guest lecturers that agree to do that, and then be submitted for publication.
• August 3: Group Presentations.

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