Putumayo-Içá is Shaped by Biodiversity and Ancestral Knowledge

Recognised as a territory of great ecological value, the Putumayo-Içá basin provides many ecosystem services to the four countries that are part of it. Its natural wealth has been preserved largely because of its low population density and thanks to the traditional knowledge of the indigenous communities who have inhabited the area for generations.

Over 70% of the basin is protected—whether through natural reserves, indigenous territories, or other special management measures. This high level of protection is clearly reflected in the outstanding conservation status of its biodiversity. Biological inventories document approximately 3,000 plant species, 500 bird species, more than 300 amphibian and reptile species, about 150 mammal species, and roughly 600 fish species inhabiting its tributaries.

The Putumayo knows no borders; it crosses Colombia, Ecuador and Peru before flowing into the Amazon in Brazil, where it is known as the Içá river. Along its course, it passes through a variety of ecosystems and regions, ranging from the upper reaches, which are directly connected to the Andes, to the jungles of the Amazonian plains.

The wetlands of the Putumayo-Içá basin, stretching from the La Cocha Lagoon in the Upper Putumayo Andes to the lagoon complex in La Paya National Natural Park in the middle Putumayo, are among the most strategically important ecosystems for life throughout the basin. Wetlands naturally regulate water, buffering floods and capturing carbon. Also, support a high biodiversity, including emblematic species such as the black caiman and the manatee. They are fundamental territories for indigenous, Afro-descendant, and peasant communities, making them key areas for environmental conservation.

Within its framework, the Integrated Management of the Putumayo-Içá River Basin Project is highlighting these biological corridors and strategic habitats, which allow numerous species of flora and fauna, including migratory fish and turtles, to move, reproduce, spawn, develop and survive. These species are among the priorities for implementing subprojects in the river and related wetlands.

The GEF Integrated Management of the Putumayo-Içá River Basin Project is a initiative of the governments of Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. It is developing a set of cross-border subprojects in collaboration with partner organizations, focusing on the study, conservation and sustainable management of fish and other aquatic species, in collaboration with the communities inhabiting this Amazonian territory.

For example, a subproject implemented by the Frankfurt Zoological Society seeks to establish participatory conservation strategies for fishery resources and river turtles in Puerto Arica, Colombia and Tres Esquinas, Peru. The subproject aims to sustain the food security of the local population by conserving these species as part of the landscape.

In recent years, evidence has emerged on the unsustainable and unregulated extraction of fish, turtles and their eggs, and communities have reported steep annual declines in the availability of these species.

Indigenous peoples such as the Bora, Murui-Muinané, Ocaina, Quichua and Yagua have responded by drawing on their ancestral knowledge to organize themselves, establish various plans and, in some cases, set up checkpoints to protect their territory and prevent the entry of outside fishermen and hunters.

Meanwhile, in the middle basin in Peru, the National Association of Community Reserve Management Contract Executors of Peru (ANECAP in Spanish) is working to promote the sustainable management of water and fishery resources. ANECAP's activities focus on recovering key species, strengthening fisheries management and conservation plans, and promoting value chains to diversify family incomes in the Huapapa, Primavera, and Santa Rosa de Cauchillo communities in Peru's El Estrecho region.

In response to existing threats, riverside communities have started to organise themselves, allowing only subsistence fishing and regulating the use of resources according to their traditional norms. In several areas, they have implemented experiments to manage charapa and taricaya turtle nests on artificial beaches, which have proven to be an effective tool for the recovery of these species.

Rocío Grefa, a Huapapa community member, affirmed:

'It is essential to responsibly manage our lake resources, such as paiches and arawuanas, to ensure food security, generate income for our families and conserve other species, such as taricayas and charapas. This project is vital for strengthening our livelihoods, supporting our children's education in the community, and promoting development through adequate fisheries management"

All these initiatives have promoted dialogues and agreements between communities in Colombia and Peru for the sustainable use of fisheries along the river and its “cochas”.

The efforts of the GEF Project for the Integrated Management of the Putumayo-Içá River Basin contribute to biodiversity conservation, food security, and the maintenance of the local culture of riverside families who depend on an extensive system of wetlands, marshes, and lakes of high ecological value, which play a key role in local life and the planet's climate balance.

The Integrated Management of the Putumayo-Iça River Basin project, abbreviated as the Putumayo-Iça Project, is a five-year initiative jointly led by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development in Colombia, the Environment, Water, and Ecological Transition Ministry in Ecuador, the Ministry of Environment in Peru, and the Secretariat of Environment in the State of Amazonas, Brazil. Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by the World Bank, it is regionally executed by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). The project's primary focus is promoting integrated natural resource management within the Putumayo-Iça River Basin. Financial support from GEF's International Waters and Chemicals and Waste focal areas underscores the project's commitment to comprehensive and sustainable international water resource management.

For more information, please contact Emilio Bermeo at ebermeodonoso@wcs.org, visit the project website and the dedicate page on iwlearn.net.

Words by Putumayo-Içá River Basin Integrated Management Project Team.