CARP-COFREMAR CONSORTIUM

Comisión Administradora del Río de la Plata (CARP)

Administrative Commission for the Rio de la Plata (CARP)

Comisión Técnica Mixta del Frente Marítimo (COFREMAR)Technical Commission for the Maritime Front (COFREMAR)

INVOLVED COUNTRIES

Argentina and Uruguay

FINANCIAL RESOURCES

GEF, GOVERNMENTS

Others (FFEM, IFREMER, IADB, IMO)

IMPLEMENTATION AGENCY

UNDP

OBJECTIVES

Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis

(TDA) Elaboration

SAP Preparation

SAP Implementation

POLLUTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL AND HABITAT RESTORATION

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION OF THE RIO DE LA PLATA AND ITS MARITIME FRONT:

GEOGRAPHICAL CONTEXT OF THE PROJECT

PLATA BASIN

PARANA RIVERURUGUAY RIVER

MARITIME FRONT

SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN

STUDY AREA

INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK

Administrative Commission for the Rio de la Plata

(CARP)

Technical Commission for the Maritime Front

(COFREMAR)

There are two bi-national commissions both established in 1976

The task of both commissions is to adopt and coordinate plans and measures aimed at protecting the aquatic environments and their fauna, promoting research

The Rio de la Plata and its Maritime Front Treaty signed in 1973 by Argentina and Uruguay is the legal framework for the bi-national management.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT

• Transition zone between warm, cold and temperate waters.

• High biodiversity with few endemic species.

• Area of ecological importance.

• Presence of endemic species and migratory fishes.

• Very important fisheries.

• Pinniped populations.

IN THIS CONTEXT THERE ARE SOME IMPORTANT STOCKS OF RIVERINE AND MARINE SPECIES.

Outer River and Maritime Front

FISHERIES

Upper River

Croaker Hake Squid

• In 2001 catches were of about 150,000 tons: 29,000 of Croaker, 50,000 of Hake, 32,000 of squid and 30,000 of other species

KEY TRANSBOUNDARY ISSUES

•Pollution of waters and sediments.•Urban, agricultural and industrial waste.•Pesticides, hydrocarbons and heavy metals in water, sediments and organisms in the lower river, reflecting proximity to urban and industrialized areas.

•System is of medium to high productivity, with risk of moving into eutrophic conditions.

•Altered hydrological processes by the construction of numerous dams in the basin.

•There are no traffic segregation systems, neither obligatory navigation routes.

• There is a navigation channel which runs near important habitats of spawning, feeding and hatcheries of fishery resources.

•Sensitive areas for hydrocarbons spills, effects of maritime transportation, harbors and tourism.

COASTALDISCHARGES

CHRONICPOLLUTION

EXOTICSPECIES(Bivalves)

REDTIDES

Summary of the Project’s Targets

• RESEARCH

1. Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis.

• ACTION

2. Preparation and approval of the Strategic Action Programme (SAP).

• PARTICIPATION OTHER ACTORS

3. Strengthening and Sustainingthe SAP Implementation Framework.

THEMATIC AREAS OF THE PROJECT

LEGAL AND INSTITUTIONAL ISSUES

BIOLOGY, ECOLOGYECOSYSTEM CONSERVATION

SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC ISSUES

ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION SYSTEM

TRANSBOUNDARY DIAGNOSTIC ANALYSIS: TDA

ENVIRONMENTAL AGENCIES

NATURAL SCIENCESAND ENGINEERING

FACULTIES

SOCIAL, ECONOMICAND LAW

FACULTIES

INTERNATIONALINSTITUTIONS

FISHERIES DEVELOPMENTAND RESEARCH

INSTITUTES

OCEANOGRAPHIC AND

HYDROGRAPHICSERVICES

ENVIRONMENTALRESEARCHINSTITUTES

EXECUTIONUNIT

TDA

RESEARCH is designed to be:• DEEP• INTERDISCIPLINARY• COORDINATE• COOPERATIVE• INTER-INSTITUTIONAL• BASED ON SECONDARY INFORMATION• COMPREHENSIVE AND CONVINCING

GOALS: identifying• KEY ISSUES•“HOT SPOTS”• LINKAGES WITH THE FRESH WATERS BASINS • PRIORITIES

Strengthening• INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITIES

Environmental Information System (EIS)RESEARCH NETWORK FOR THE KEY ISSUES

INSTITUTIONAL NETWORK FOR RESEARCH AND EXECUTION OF TDA ACTIVITIES

17 COOPERATION AGREEMENTS:• Fisheries institute.• Navy hydrographic centers.• Environmental control centers.• Meteorological institute.• Water quality control centers and institutes.• University colleges of natural sciences, engineering, social and economic sciences.

33 SPECIFIC ACCORDS ON KEY ISSUES:

• Circulation patterns and models of the Rio de la Plata and Maritime Front.• Water and sediments pollution.• Pollutants accumulation in the trophic chains.• Wetlands destruction.• Aquatic biodiversity assessments.• Biology of species of commercial value.• Red tides and cholera.• Exotic species.• Economic valuation of water resources.• Satellite images catalogue for the Rio de la Plata and its Maritime Front.

TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUPS FOR TDA• Physical oceanography.• Chemical oceanography.• Marine biology.• Legal and institutional issues.• Bio-essays.

# Agreements & accords

Scientists belonging to institutions participating in the Project products

Personnel

20

40

60

80

100

120

0

5

10

15

20

25

Feb-01 Jul-01 Nov-01 Feb-02 May-02 Sep-02 Dec-02

Specific accords

Framework Agreements Number(*10)

Jul-00

SSIC

Personnelrecruitment

TDA Scientificobjectives

Technical AdvisoryGroups (TAG)

Starting-up ofeach topicSpecific

InstitutionalAgreements Starting-up of the

Coordination Committee for SAP

Coordination Committee

STRATEGIC ACTION PROGRAM (SAP) 1. OBJECTIVES FOR QUALITY OF WATERS

CONTROL.2. STRATEGIES FOR POLLUTION

CONTROL.3. BI-NATIONAL PROTOCOLS FOR

ASSESSMENTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT.

4. FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC INSTRUMENTS TO ACHIEVE THE REDUCTION OF POLLUTANT CONTRIBUTIONS.

5. COORDINATION STRATEGY TO TAKE ACTIONS AGAINST POLLUTION.

6. TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION SYSTEM OF SPECIALISTS ON ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT.

7. BI-NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION.

8. PREPARATION OF THE DOCUMENT FOR THE STRATEGIC ACTION PROGRAM.

PRODUCTS

ExecutionUnit

ResearchInstitutions

Consultants

Compilation oflaws and rules

Protocols forenvironmental impact studies

Economic valuationof aquatic resources

Water qualitystandards

Strategies for biodiversity

Endangered species lists

Reproduction areasof species

Cartography of sensitive areas

Economic instruments for the environmentalprotection

BINATIONAL

COMMISSIONS

CoordinationCommittee

Bi-national juridicalrecommendations

EnvironmentalLocal

Agencies

EIS-SAP

CONSENSUSBUILDING FOR

SAP

LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL AUTHORITIESCoordination Committee

Argentina

• Armada Argentina (Argentinian Navy)• Prefectura Naval Argentina (Argentinian Coastguard)• Secretaría de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sustentable (Environment and Sustainable Development

Secretariat)• Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Alimentos (Agriculture, Livestock, Fishery and

Foods Secretariat)• Secretaría de Política Ambiental de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (Environmental Policy

Secretariat of the Province of Buenos Aires)• Subsecretaría de Puertos y Vías Navegables (Harbors and Navigable Channels Undersecretariat)

Uruguay• Armada Nacional – Prefectura Nacional Naval (Uruguayan Navy and Coastguard)• Dirección Nacional de Hidrografía – Ministerio de Transporte y Obras Públicas (National Hydrography Directorate – Ministry of Transportation and Public Works)• Dirección Nacional del Medio Ambiente, DINAMA – Ministerio de Vivienda, Ordenamiento Territorial

y Medio Ambiente (National Directorate for the Environment, DINAMA – Ministry of Housing, Land Planning and Environment)• Intendencia de Montevideo, Intendencia de Canelones, Intendencia de Colonia, Intendencia de Maldonado, Intendencia de Rocha, Intendencia de San José (Municipalities of Montevideo,

Canelones, Colonia, Maldonado, Rocha, San José)• Oficina de Planeamiento y Presupuesto (Planning and Budget Office)

14 Institutions from both countries have participated in the First Technical Preparatory Meeting of Institutions of the Coordination Committee (CC). In this meeting, the agenda for a meeting of these Institutions’ Authorities was prepared.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE STRATEGIC ACTION PROGRAMME: ISAP

PAESAPConsensus

Building

1. It is necessary to invest a lot of time and effort in the planning of the institutional arrangements for TDA.

2. Projects should include a commitment of participation, with agreed deadlines, of key Governmental Agencies, and they must be integrated at an early stage of its implementation to obtain the products in order to ensure the execution of the recommendations.

3. TDA should include proposals for institutional linkages among the coastal zone of the Rio de la Plata and its Maritime Front, the South Atlantic oceanic ecosystem, and their contributing freshwater basins.

4. Activities of the TDA should be carried out by scientific and technical institutions forming bi-national working groups.

5. Consensus building activities for SAP should begin at an early stage, together with the activities which are part of the TDA.

LESSONS LEARNED/GOOD PRACTICES

6. The responsibilities, tasks, priorities and interests of each of those institutions should be duly addressed in order to bring about that integration.

7. The sequential approach of activities of the Project should be replaced by a more complex strategy where a number of activities are being executed in parallel, between TDA and SAP.

8. The scientists and experts of both countries, belonging to different disciplines, do not have a considerable experience in multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary work. The best strategy to deal with environmental issues is the formation of a heterogeneous team of experts working together.

9. The recruitment process, following UNDP procedures, has proven to be particularly successful in many respects. This procedure assures transparency in the composition of the Project's staff and trust in the scientific and environmental managers.

LESSONS LEARNED/GOOD PRACTICES