Diapositiva 1

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION OF THE RIO DE LA PLATA
AND ITS MARITIME FRONT
POLLUTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL AND HABITAT
RESTORATION
INVOLVED COUNTRIES Argentina and
Uruguay FINANCIAL RESOURCES GEF,
GOVERNMENTS Others (FFEM, IFREMER, IADB,
IMO) IMPLEMENTATION AGENCY UNDP OBJECTIVES Transbo
undary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) Elaboration SAP
Preparation SAP Implementation
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)
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GEOGRAPHICAL CONTEXT OF THE PROJECT
STUDY AREA
SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN
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INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK
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.

• There are two
• bi-national commissions both established in 1976

Technical Commission for the Maritime Front
(COFREMAR)
The task of both commissions is to adopt and
coordinate plans and measures aimed at protecting
the aquatic environments and their fauna,
promoting research
Administrative Commission for the Rio de la Plata
(CARP)
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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.

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FISHERIES
IN THIS CONTEXT THERE ARE SOME IMPORTANT STOCKS
OF RIVERINE AND MARINE SPECIES.
Upper River
Outer River and Maritime Front
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

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• 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.

COASTAL DISCHARGES
CHRONIC POLLUTION
EXOTIC SPECIES (Bivalves)
RED TIDES
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Summary of the Projects Targets

• RESEARCH
• Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis.
• ACTION
• Preparation and approval of the Strategic Action
  Programme (SAP).
• PARTICIPATION OTHER ACTORS
• Strengthening and Sustaining
• the SAP Implementation Framework.

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THEMATIC AREAS OF THE PROJECT
BIOLOGY, ECOLOGY ECOSYSTEM CONSERVATION
ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION SYSTEM
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC ISSUES
LEGAL AND INSTITUTIONAL ISSUES
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TRANSBOUNDARY DIAGNOSTIC ANALYSIS 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

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

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Scientists belonging to institutions
participating in the Project products
Agreements accords
Specific accords
Number (10)
Framework Agreements
Coordination Committee
Personnel
Personnel recruitment TDA Scientific objectives Te
chnical Advisory Groups (TAG)
Starting-up of each topic Specific Institutional A
greements
Starting-up of the Coordination Committee for SAP
SS
IC
Feb-01
Jul-01
Nov-01
Feb-02
May-02
Sep-02
Dec-02
Jul-00
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PRODUCTS
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.
• BI-NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR BIODIVERSITY
  CONSERVATION.
• PREPARATION OF THE DOCUMENT FOR THE STRATEGIC
  ACTION PROGRAM.

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Coordination Committee
EIS-SAP
Research Institutions

Endangered species lists
Environmental Local Agencies
Reproduction areas of species
COMMISSIONS
Cartography of sensitive areas
BINATIONAL
Strategies for biodiversity
Diagnostics
Execution Unit
Protocols for environmental impact studies
CONSENSUS BUILDING FOR SAP
Water quality standards
Compilation of laws and rules
Consultants
Economic valuation of aquatic resources
Bi-national juridical recommendations
Economic instruments for the environmental protec
tion
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LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL AUTHORITIES Coordination
Committee
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.

• 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)

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IMPLEMENTATION OF THE STRATEGIC ACTION
PROGRAMME ISAP
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
COMMUNICATION AND EDUCATION
GOVERNMENTAL APPROVAL
PAE
SAP SUSTAINABILITY
SAP Consensus Building
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LESSONS LEARNED/GOOD PRACTICES

• It is necessary to invest a lot of time and
  effort in the planning of the institutional
  arrangements for TDA.
• 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.
• 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.
• Activities of the TDA should be carried out by
  scientific and technical institutions forming
  bi-national working groups.
• Consensus building activities for SAP should
  begin at an early stage, together with the
  activities which are part of the TDA.

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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.