The World Bank/WBI’s CBNRM Initiative

Case Received: February 6, 1998

Author: Henry Jiménez

E-mail: hjimenez@mafalda.univalle.edu.co

COUNTRY: Colombia, Valle del Cauca Department, Bitaco River Watershed.

RENEWABLE NATURAL RESOURCE: Water and soil.

SIGNIFICANT FACTORS IN THE CONTEXT: Conflicts about water and land use. Community and interinstitutional participation.

AUTHOR'S INVOLVEMENT IN CASE: The study was based on two undergraduate papers by Agricultural Engineering students (Universidad del Valle and National University of Colombia) and a Master's Thesis in Soil and Water Resources at the National University of Colombia, for which the author was director of studies.

The study was supported by the Corporación Autónoma Regional del Valle del Cauca (CVC), the environmental authority for the region. The Bitacoes Foundation, a nongovernmental organization that works in the Bitaco River basin, was also involved and provided logistic support for the study.

In association with the participants, the author proposed the methodology for the field work and the obtaining of data on the biophysical, legal and socioeconomic aspects of the watershed. The author provided guidance for the participation of the communities and government institutions of the area.

The Bitaco River watershed or basin comprises an area of 16,071 ha and has a population of around 11,500. This population is tending to shrink as a result of migration into the cities, which is occurring mainly because of pressure to use the available land for recreational purposes for the people of the city of Cali, which is just one hour away from the municipality of La Cumbre, the main settlement in the watershed (9,900 inhabitants).

The basin's soils are highly fertile. Due to the pressure on the land, some 53% of the soils are suffering some degree of erosion. Water-use conflicts have also been increasing as a result of the exhaustion of the sources used, primarily on account of the deforestation of the higher parts of the basin where the microwatersheds are located. As a result of the pressure on the area's forests, the species of flora and fauna are experiencing adverse effects and some have become extinct and a good number of others are now endangered.

The growing use of land suited for forest growth for residential purposes, especially in the upper and medium-high part of the basin, accompanied by farming and stockraising activities, has been increasing the areas subject to conflict and deterioration. The lower part of the basin, which makes up one third of its area, includes some zones that are totally degraded, with severe and very severe degrees of erosion caused chiefly by overgrazing and runoff.

The quality of the waters of the Bitaco River and its tributaries has declined because the sewage and liquid wastes from the local communities and farms are discharged directly into them without any treatment. There are also problems connected with the management of the solid waste generated and of the residues from the activities carried out in the basin.

There are few employment opportunities, with the inhabitants of the municipal chief town of La Cumbre being particularly hard hit in this respect. The bulk of the jobs available are temporary ones on agriculture or as attendants on properties used for weekend recreation purposes by their owners.

The public services in some parishes display serious deficiencies in terms of access or quality. In some cases there is not water supply or electricity service, while sewerage systems are either lacking or inadequate in many smaller communities. There is also an insufficient number of health and education centers in parts of the basin.

Community participation in the management of the watershed area was initially very low and limited to particular points or issues; community input accordingly appeared inefficient and uncoordinated. Initially communication and coordination among the institutions present in the basin was very poor, while very little interest and political will was evinced by the area's political leaders.

The process was initiated by a reconnaissance of the different characteristics of the basin.

First the biophysical characteristics were determined, such as: type of soils and use made of them, present and potential uses, physico-chemical properties, geology. Climatology: precipitation, evaporation, temperature. Hydrology: gauging of currents, estimating of flows. Studies were made of rainfall, flows, and water requirements for different purposes (agriculture, industry, human use and recreation). Water balances were drawn up for different parts of the basin, leading to a water zoning map.

Using geographic information systems, the land-use conflict areas were pinpointed and a zoning map was prepared based on soil fertility and climate, thereby generating an agroclimatic zoning of the basin. This work made it possible to define zones of conflict due to water availability, soil degradation or a combination of the two.

The socioeconomic aspects taken into account included demography, health, public services, land tenure and land use. A field survey was made of the sources of the water and how it was obtained. This information was then used to identify impacts and problems connected with the quality of life, organizations and community participation, interinstitutional interaction, regulation of water use, land tenure and water and land use.

Once the biophysical and socioeconomic circumstances were known, steps were taken to integrate the institutional and community activities and those of the university-based facilitators. This process was followed throughout the study and served to strengthen community participation. In point of fact, the Bitacoes Foundation (NGO made up of inhabitants of the basin) assumed a steadily more active role in its function as a channel of communication and for community participation.

In the fora and workshops held in the context of the study, in which responsibility for its organization was delegated to the sectors involved, participation of the NGO (Bitacoes Foundation), the Office of the Mayor of the Municipality of La Cumbre, councilmen, CVC representatives and officials from the Agriculture and Community Development Secretariats, among others, was facilitated. This ensured the attention and commitment of the authorities concerning the need for an integrated approach to the restoration and management of the basin.

The University, in that it made it possible to combine institutional and community efforts by means of the proposed methodology and application of their human and physical resources in the project.

The community, because of its interest in and identification with the project, and also its support both during the study and in the successive stages of the work.

The CVC, in its capacity as environmental authority, because of its support for the implementation of the process and the participation of its staff in the analysis of the terrain and provision of logistic and institutional support.

Initially the Universidad del Valle was consulted about providing guidance to the CVC staff in an agroclimatic study of the zone in question. After the initial evaluations and taking into account that one of the CVC staffers needed a topic for his Master's thesis, the University took the position that the case of the Bitaco River watershed required broader-ranging treatment than initially envisaged and proposed that the coverage of the study be expanded to full-scale watershed management in order to satisfy the different aspirations involved and the requirements of the situation. This proposal was accepted. A good part of the accomplishments of this project is due to the application and input of the postgraduate student, whose work--also as a CVC staff member--was crucial to its success.

The students displayed great commitment and dedication in applying their energies to study of a real problem affecting their environment. There was a confluence of interests between the key players and the institutions, so responsibility for the project and its outcome is shared.

Key Institutional Changes Adopted

An interinstitutional participation mechanism was implemented, and community participation was also strengthened through the Bitacoes Foundation. The University was effectively involved on the resolving of a problem connected with the management of the basin forming its environment.

On the basis of the study a Management Plan has been drawn up for the basin. This Management Plan determines among other things zones based on the use made of the land, for protection of forests, agriculture, stockraising, new settlements, water use, restoration plans for degraded areas, decisionmaking on change in land use, etc.

Impact of these Changes on Natural Resource Management

There has been a perceptible increase in the sensitivity and interest of the community and institutions concerning local environmental matters. The control over changes in land use within the basin has been improved. Control has also been increased over the distribution and use of the basin's waters and over the discharge of sewage and liquid wastes.

Groups of residents have been established to work on the restoration and conservation of the microwatersheds supplying the water, their respective water lines and channels and their irrigation systems. The University has gained important experience in watershed management which will enable it to continue training people in this field. The parties involved in the project learned and experienced the value of interinstitutional and interdisciplinary work in management of the watershed.

In view of the recent nature (1995) of the study, it is considered that certain other effects could also become apparent with the passage of time; these could include recovery of degraded areas, reduction and control of pollution of the basin's waters, improvement of the coverage and quality of public services in some settlements and a general bettering of the quality of life for the public at large.

What are the main lessons that the authors draw from the case?

The importance of coordinated work on the part of the communities and institutions. The basic requirement to take into account the views and opinions of the communities in the dialoguing leading up to establishment of the watershed management plans; since without this participation the projects would have failed or been rejected by the community itself. The students demonstrated great commitment and dedication in applying their energies to study of a real-life problem affecting their environment.

It was learned that water-use management has to be based on analysis of the basin as a whole and not on flows or individual communities. The importance is understood of keeping updated complete and reliable databases connected with the different but interrelated factors with a bearing on the management of the basin.

Can these lessons be replicated in other situations?

Although each watershed represents a different system in which the biophysical, social and economic factors act in differing ways in individual legal frameworks, it is considered that the general experience gained in the study can be applied in other similar cases; for instance, in mountain regions, where there are water and land-use conflicts in a context of poverty affecting large segments of the population.

It is worth noting that this study earned an Honorable Mention for its contribution to environmental management with community participation in Colombia, in the competition for the Blue Planet Prize in 1996. It also received an Honorable Mention at the 1997 Colombian Agricultural Engineering Congress. Moreover the Bitacoes Foundation was awarded the National Blue Planet Prize as an example of community participation.

In the authors' opinion, what is Universal and what is Unique in this case, with regard to its impact or replicability in other situations?

A universal feature is that in management of water and land-use conflicts due attention must be paid to the interaction of all the players involved in the basin, together with all the biophysical, social and economic aspects concerned. The desirability of interinstitutional work to prevent duplication of efforts and foster efficiency in the action of each entity. The importance of community participation in the resolution of conflicts and preparation of management plans is accepted.

In the project, geographic information systems were used as tools in the study of the basin, in both the biophysical aspects and concerning the economic, social and legal dimensions. These systems were helpful for presenting the situations to the community and the institutions.

In the study the University acted as a facilitator of the Community - Institutions communication process. During the survey-taking and evaluation of the information, it enabled the active participation and integration of members of the community, institution personnel, professionals, students and professors. By emphasizing the water-related problems affecting the inhabitants of the basin, it made it possible to gain and retain the interest and participation of the community and the institutions. At the present time the Project for Restoration of the Bitaco River Watershed is included in the governmental sector's agenda and portfolios.