Environmental protection of the Rio de la Plata and its Maritime Front: Pollution Prevention and

Control and Restoration of Habitats

PROJECT: RLA/99/G31 OP8, Water body based operational

program

Bi-national Executing Agency:

CONSORTIUM CARP-CTMFM- Rio de la Plata Management Commission,

- Bi-National Technical Commission for the Maritime Front

2000 2004 2006

www.freplata.org

TDA SAP

Major trends in the project area will increase the

pressure on the uses and resources of the aquatic

ecosystem

Río de la Plata (35.500km2)

Maritime Front (215.900 km2)

Río Paraná

Río Uruguay (Sediment load: 20.000 t/day)

Freight traffic through the Rio de la Plata and its Maritime Front (in thousands of tons)

050.000

100.000150.000200.000250.000300.000

1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050year

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita (in US$)

7,000

8,000

9,000

10,000

11,000

12,000

13,000

14,000

15,000

1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050year

Industrial GDP (in millions of US$)

0

10.000

20.000

30.000

40.000

50.000

60.000

70.000

80.000

90.000

1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050year

Buenos Aires

Montevideo

Population growth (in thousands of individuals)

9.496

5.000

7.000

9.000

11.000

13.000

15.000

17.000

19.000

21.000

23.000

25.000

1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050year

Heavy metal discharges (t/day) into the Río de la Plata:

lead chrome

Rio Paraná: 6 7

Rio Uruguay: 1,6 1,6

Buenos Aires: 0,3 1,5

Sum: 7,9 10,1

230 k

m

( Sediment load: 260.000 t/day )

URUGUAYURUGUAY

ARGENTINAARGENTINA

Distribution of environmental stress on the main uses and resources of the aquatic ecosystem

flora and faunahabitats

29%

leisure23%

fisheries24%

freshwater23%

transport1%

Human impact on the aquatic ecosystem threatens its uses and

resources in quality or quantity

The environmental impact has national and transboundary The environmental impact has national and transboundary components embedded in a complex system of overlapping components embedded in a complex system of overlapping

jurisdictions jurisdictions

Land based point source and non point source pollution by urban, agriculture and industrial activities.

Seaborne pollution due to aquatic transport activities

Alien species invasion due to maritime transport activities

Active and passive distribution processes generating transboundary effects of the environmental impacts

CARP

National exclusive areas

Levels of jurisdiction:Bi-national: CARP-area, CTMFM-area

National: Central/Federal Government of Uruguay and Argentina exclusive areas

Local: Province of Buenos Aires, City of Buenos Aires, Municipalities of the Prov.of BA, Departments exclusive areas

City of Buenos Aires

Province of Buenos Aires

Municipalities of the Province of Buenos Aires

Coastal Departments of Uruguay

CTMFM

Prohibition zone for pollution activities

URUGUAY ARGENTINAInternational bodies

FREPLATA Executing Unit

CARP CTMFM

UNDP

National and strategic action plan formulation teams

Secretary of Production, Tourism and Sustainable

Development

CARP= Rio de la Plata Management Commission, CTMFM= Bi-national Technical Commission for the Maritime Front

*: Defense Ministry, Transport Ministry, Ministry of Agriculture, Environment Ministry **: Defense Ministry, Ministry of Economy and Production, Ministry of Justice, Health and Environment Ministry

6 Local Governments:

- Colonia - San José - Canelones - Montevideo - Maldonado - Rocha

Government of Uruguay

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

4 other Ministries*

Consortium Executive

Board

Advisory Committee

Coordination Committee

Non Governmental Organizations

Government of Argentina

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

4 other Ministries**

Government of the

Province of Buenos

Aires

Government of the

Autonomous City of Buenos

Aires

Inter-ministerial committee FREPLATA

Planning Agency

Ministry of

Planning

Lessons learned and best practices: Don’t get lost in endless scientific research during the TDA phase

but make sure that people are informed about the project and encourage non governmental stakeholder participation.

FREPLATA communication

team

FREPLATA FREPLATA FundFund for environmental

education (financing of NGO

activities)

FREPLATA FREPLATA BulletinBulletin monthly information

brochure, 2000 copies

FREPLATA Public opinion FREPLATA Public opinion surveyssurveys

analyzing stakeholder opinion about the project and

environmental issues

FREPLATA FREPLATA Photography and painting contestPhotography and painting contest

on environmental issues of the Río de la Plata

FREPLATA web-siteFREPLATA web-site 7.000 visitors per month

(with more that 30 minutes)

FREPLATA videoFREPLATA video e.g. in the ferry

Montevideo-Buenos Aires-Colonia (1.5

million passengers per year)

FREPLATA FREPLATA permanent permanent exhibition exhibition 300 m2, 20.000 visitors July-

November 05

FREPLATA FREPLATA cooperationcooperation e.g. with “Marine

World” (co-financing of a first aid room for injured sea mammals and birds)

Lessons learned and best practices:

FREPLATA communication

team

Launch pilot projects to find out if “good ideas” are really working and look out for strategic partnerships to share project experiences and resources of common interest.

FREPLATA

Pilot Project in Uruguay: Cleaner Cleaner productionproduction and the reduction of

pollution by industrial waste

Pilot Project in Argentina: Increasing

enterprise enterprise performancesperformances by

cleaner production

Pilot Project in Argentina and Uruguay: Bioassays

for the analyses of analyses of ecotoxicologyecotoxicology of sediments

Pilot Project in Argentina and Uruguay: Bi-national network of local governments for water quality monitoringwater quality monitoring in the Río de

la Plata

Pilot Projects: Local projects for

biodiversity protectionbiodiversity protection in Argentina and

UruguayAgreement for the joint

development of an ecological early warning ecological early warning

systemsystem between FREPLATA and the UNEP-GEF Río de la Plata Basin

Framework Project

Agreement for data base data base sharingsharing between

FREPLATA and the UNDP-GEF Patagonia Project

Agreement with the GTZ Project GAPAS

(Environmental port management in South

America) for co-financing of co-financing of FREPLATA Pilot ProjectsFREPLATA Pilot Projects