By: Isadora Angarita-Martinez (WHSRN Executive Office, Manomet), Diana Eusse, Patricia Falk-Fernández, Dina Estupiñan and Jessica Suárez (Asociación Calidris)
Human communities now take greater role in the decision-making that directly affects the conservation of key areas upon which they depend, and which are also important for biodiversity. The ecosystem services of the Iscuandé River Delta (Delta del Río Iscuandé), in the Pacific coast of Colombia, were assessed through a participatory process to consider the benefits that local communities receive from sites important for biodiversity. The results of the assessment made it possible to identify the actions necessary to guarantee long term resource supply, while also contributing to the conservation of shorebirds and their habitats. The actions to be implemented will be led by the local community in collaboration with other stakeholders at the site.
The Colombian Pacific is recognized for its incredible biodiversity, the result of its geographical location and the complexity of its ecosystems. In addition to being home to the tallest and most well-preserved mangroves in the Pacific Americas, the southern Pacific coast of Colombia is also critical as a rest and refuel site for migrating shorebirds. It also provides habitat for the feeding and breeding of resident species. Its importance was recognized in 2009 with the designation of the Delta del Río Iscuandé as the first WHSRN site in Colombia. As well as to hosting 50,000 shorebirds annually during their migration, this site supports 2,200 people who are part of the Consejo Comunitario Esfuerzo Pescador (Community Council) and depend on this site it for their survival and livelihoods.
In the Iscuandé River Delta WHSRN site we find the most well conserved mangroves in Pacific America. Nonetheless, logging is a constant threat to the ways of life of the local communities and shorebirds. Photos: Asociación Calidris.
With evidence of changes in the provision of certain ecosystem services that the local community receives from the WHSRN site, a participatory assessment of the ecosystem services was initiated in 2019. The causes of the changes can be attributed to the effects of climate change, pollution by solid waste and heavy metals, and logging of the mangrove forests. These changes impact the way of life and activities of the Community Council, and although they are not new threats to the inhabitants, they have intensified over time[1]. For example, rising sea levels and pollution affect the provision of water for consumption and other household activities. The increase in sea temperature alters the productive patterns of the forests and fisheries, increasing the risk of overexploitation and its consequences. Coastal erosion and sedimentation of rivers and estuaries affects land stability in areas where houses were built, forcing communities to move further from the resource, meaning longer travel times to perform the same fishing activities.
Due to the instability of the soil as a result of the effects of climate change and the dynamic of the interaction between the sea and the coast, the population of the Iscuandé River Delta were forced to move to areas further from the coast. The productivity of the fishing industry has also been reduced as a result of the increase in sea temperatures. Photo: Asociación Calidris (left) and Alexander González (right).
Shorebirds suffer similar effects because of the increase in contaminants and sediments, coupled with a reduction in primary production at the sites because of the logging of mangroves, which effects the size and quality of feeding and roosting areas. These changes can have important impacts on the survival and reproductive success of the birds, increasing the effort required to find safe places for resting and to fulfil their energy requirements for migration or reproduction.
The mangroves of the Iscuandé River Delta offer important resources for the local community and are critical rest sites for migrant and resident shorebirds. Photos: Asociación Calidris (left) and Richard Johnston (right).
The ecosystem services assessment was completed with a series of community workshops, which were focused on better incorporation of local knowledge and techniques, driving the active participation of different community groups. These workshops collated and analyzed information via a process of “learning by doing” and promoting decision-making for the protection of ecosystem services with the consideration of various scenarios and all of the available information. The assessment allowed firsthand information to be obtained about the products and resources that are critical to the community. The provision of water, food and products associated with the forest were prioritized for the analysis.
It was discovered that the main sources of water were rain and the river, and that it was used for cleaning, personal hygiene, consumption and food preparation. Some 80% of the food items that are gathered are commercialized, and 20% are consumed. Although food items are collected in all of the ecosystems, the mangroves are the most productive and 50% of the people depend on fishing for their subsistence and commercialization. Thus it is clear that ensuring the sources of water and food provision, or looking for other alternatives is essential for this community, and that this will also have a positive effect for shorebirds, as the guardian community would remain at the WHSRN site.
Water is a fundamental element of life for human beings. In communities that depend primordially on the rain for its supply, the changes in climatic process can have alarming consequences. Photo: Asociación Calidris.
Integrating the needs of the shorebirds and local communities is one of the keys to effective conservation of the WHSRN site. This integration is based on taking informed decisions that support biodiversity conservation and the continued provision of ecosystem services. Identification of management strategies that maintain and improve economic and environmental sustainability and human well-being is also essential.
Over the following months, the next steps in the process will involve sharing of the results with local and regional authorities, civil society organizations and academia. Additionally, there will be an attempt to integrate these results into public policy, plans for adaptation and mitigation of climate change and integral management of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Finally, strengthening the participation of local communities and groups is essential, as they will be responsible for taking conservation decisions in their regions, implementing the identified actions in a manner that favors human well-being and shorebird conservation.
Communities that are better informed of the benefits they receive from nature, more prepared to implement the changes that are required to maintain the continuous provision of those benefits, and that are actively participating in decision-making based on the integration of public policies and local needs, ensure not only their well-being but also the conservation of the biodiversity on which they depend. Photo: Asociación Calidris.
This assessment with the Consejo Comunitario Esfuerzo Pescador occurred in parallel with the Consejo Comunitario de Comunidades Negras de la Isla Punta Soldado (Council of Black Communities of Punta Soldado Island) at Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca. The final document presents results for the two Community Councils, without whose interest and active participation the evaluation would not have been possible. The active participation of the communities and the leadership of Asociación Calidris was essential for the completion of the assessment, and the financial support of the US Fish and Wildlife Service and technical support of the WHSRN Executive Office also facilitated the process. Though the results are specific to two sites in the Colombian Pacific, the experience and way in which the assessment was carried out proved to be a useful model for other WHSRN sites.
If you are interested in reading the final document with a compilation of all of the results, you can download it here. If you would like to find out more about the specific processes in the two Community Councils you can communicate directly with Diana Eusse and Patricia Falk – Fernandez from Asociación Calidris.
To learn more about evaluating ecosystem services at your site, please contact our Flyways Specialist Isadora Angarita-Martínez.
[1] Increase in sea level of 20 mm each year since 2000, which results in 40 cm by 2020 and close to 1 m in 2050.
Cover Photo: Sandpipers at the WHSRN site Delta del río Iscuandé, Colombia. Photo: Asociación Calidris.
