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