Combination of Practices to Improve Environmental Protection and Production in Las Piedras River Basin in Colombia

Las Piedras river basin that originates in the Colombian Massif is of great importance for Colombian hydrology, it is a tributary of the Cauca River which supplies the water needs of the populations of Popayán and Puracé, as well as farming producers.  In the upper basin, there has been a noticeable decrease in rainfall and summers have lengthened, affecting the water supply for the inhabitants and producers of the basin, causing crop losses and affecting the local and family economy.

In response to these issues, a combined intervention of three main practices focused on environmental protection, productive aspects, and institutional strengthening was undertaken under the framework of the FAO project “Ecosystem Integration and Climate Change Adaptation in the Colombian Massif”.

The project aimed to strengthen the coordination and integration of environmental issues into the national development agenda, with an emphasis on reducing the vulnerability of the poorest communities and most affected sectors that resulted from environmental degradation and climate change.

The diagnosis carried out by the Las Piedras River Foundation (FRLP - Spanish acronym for Fundación Río Las Piedras) with technical support from FAO, revealed that climate change added to the environmental deterioration of the basin, worsened the water shortage and the effects of long summers, especially in the upper basin where rainfall is collected to regulate water flows.  This assessment determined the need for intervention to reduce the vulnerability of the territory, recovering its stability and protection cover, which is the linchpin of farming production, strengthening the capacities of the inhabitants and the organizations that operate in the basin. 

Accordingly, It was expected that the rehabilitation of the environmental systems of the Las Piedras river basin will help to recover the environmental conditions of the basin, especially in the upper areas, to improve the spaces in which the hydrological cycle takes place, increasing the availability of water for population consumption, for environmental sustainability and agricultural production. 

The practices were carried out in response to the request made by Las Piedras River Foundation (FRLP), endorsed by an assessment carried out by FAO, and with the support of the MDG-F programme led by the UNDP and supported by the Kingdom of Spain. It aimed at fighting against poverty, through the rehabilitation of the environmental systems of the Las Piedras river basin to improve water supply and meet the population consumption and food production demand in the basin. 

It began with the organization of local actors according to the practices to be developed and their location.  Then, the capacities to implement environmental protection activities, sustainable agricultural production, and the strengthening of local institutions were improved.

The environmental protection focused on springs, reforestation and environmental restoration of strategic ecosystems, protection areas for tree planting and agroforestry systems, with the aim of protecting the soil, providing conditions to improve rainfall infiltration, reducing water erosion and land-use conflicts, improving sustainability. 

In terms of productive practices, livestock breeding was managed with pasture rotation to reduce soil pressure and the

risk of erosion. Productive management practices were also developed using organic fertilizers and biological formulas to improve soil fertility and control contamination.  This practice also addressed the agriculture-ecotourism interaction as a means of raising income.  As regards institutional strengthening, training was offered on how to set up local and specialized organizations, and how to define watershed management plans.  The Peace and Coexistence Pact, the Civil Society Reserves Network, and the identification and commitment of institutions to support the educational, training, and technical assistance processes on environmental management and sustainable production were explained.

For more information, Watch: Ecosystem integration and climate change adaptation in the Colombian Massif Institutional Video, Joint United Nations Programme  "Integración de Ecosistemas y Adaptación al cambio climático en el Macizo Colombiano" (Integration of ecosystems and adaptation to climate change)