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The Katari wetlands provide essential ecosystem services that contribute to a clean drinking water source in Boliva’s La Paz Department.
This project will carry out a multi-temporal remote sensing analysis of high-elevation wetlands and link specific remote sensing indicators to a hydrological model. SEI will then build a WEAP model to assess the impact of climate change on the Katari watershed and evaluate potential conflicts between ecohydrological and urban water demands.
Photo: Bart Wickel / SEI
“Bofedales” are small-sized, high-altitude wetlands formed by native prairies that are permanently sustained by shallow groundwater and surface water. They are generally found in the high Andean plateaus above 3,800 meters, where precipitation, snowmelt and subsurface water gets collected and stored in the plains. Bofedales have a critical value when it comes to guaranteeing sustainable water supply, as they regulate the water balance and the soil and nutrients cycle of the mountain watersheds.
The Katari watershed is located in the Andes Province, in Bolivia’s La Paz Department, and represents an area of approximately 700km2. Water flows from the Katari watershed are one of the main water supply sources to the cities of La Paz and El Alto. Katari itself is home to a population of 1 million inhabitants in the municipalities of Batallas and Pucarani and is facing a rapid urbanization with little concern for territorial planning and the environment. This has led to a severe degradation of the water quality in the entire basin.
Moreover, the health of the wetlands is deteriorating due to the impacts of climate change and the retreat of the mountain glaciers, combined with the increased water demand from the urban area of La Paz and El Alto. This is further worsened by the construction of dams, overgrazing, and the uncontrolled groundwater extraction to support the mining activity.
To protect the processes and services provided by healthy “bofedales”, the first step is to study the hydrological regimes that support them and to understand the underlying connections between the hydrological and ecological systems.
With the support of the IDB and in collaboration with the local government authorities, such as UGCK, MMAYA and GPM, SEI will develop a baseline of remote-sensing-based indicators describing the changes in eco-hydrological conditions, vegetation cover, water body areas and snow cover, over the past 36 years (1984-2020). Then, SEI will build a conceptual model in the WEAP platform to analyze the hydrology of the Katari watershed. Linking the modelling efforts and the remote sensing analysis will allow us to assess the potential impacts of climate change on the wetlands and the water supply.
SEI brief / This fact sheet explores the research aimed at preserving the ecosystems of high-elevation wetlands in Bolivia amid the effects of climate change.
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The water program of SEI US drives innovation in water management by developing, using, and transferring planning tools and participatory processes.
SEI brief / SEI researchers used the Gridded Meteorological Ensemble Tool for a water balance study in Bolivia, marking the first time the tool was applied outside the US.
Design and development by Soapbox.
