Project Overview
The Tajzara Lagoons, located in the department of Tarija, Bolivia, are a group of bodies of water located at an altitude of aprox. 3,700 meters above sea level, and represent a RAMSAR site of Bolivia. They are located on the semi-arid plateau of the Bolivian low or sub-Andean Highlands, sorrounded by mountains peaks that reach 4,000 meters. The region has a cool and dry climate, with temperature fluctuating significantly between day and night.
Ecosystem Services
Provisioning
- Provisioning Services are ecosystem services that describe the material or energy outputs from ecosystems. They include food, water and other resources.
- Fresh water: Ecosystems play a vital role in the global hydrological cycle, as they regulate the flow and purification of water. Vegetation and forests influence the quantity of water available locally.
Regulating
- Regulating Services are the services that ecosystems provide by acting as regulators eg. regulating the quality of air and soil or by providing flood and disease control.
- Biological control: Ecosystems are important for regulating pests and vector borne diseases that attack plants, animals and people. Ecosystems regulate pests and diseases through the activities of predators and parasites. Birds, bats, flies, wasps, frogs and fungi all act as natural controls.
Habitat / Supporting
- Ecosystem services "that are necessary for the production of all other ecosystem services". These include services such as nutrient recycling, primary production and soil formation.
- Habitats for species: Habitats provide everything that an individual plant or animal needs to survive: food; water; and shelter. Each ecosystem provides different habitats that can be essential for a species’ lifecycle. Migratory species including birds, fish, mammals and insects all depend upon different ecosystems during their movements.
Cultural
- Cultural Services corresponds nonmaterial benefits people obtain from ecosystems through spiritual enrichment, cognitive development, reflection, recreation, and aesthetic experiences.
- Tourism: Ecosystems and biodiversity play an important role for many kinds of tourism which in turn provides considerable economic benefits and is a vital source of income for many countries. In 2008 global earnings from tourism summed up to US$ 944 billion. Cultural and eco-tourism can also educate people about the importance of biological diversity.
- Aesthetic appreciation and inspiration for culture, art and design: Language, knowledge and the natural environment have been intimately related throughout human history. Biodiversity, ecosystems and natural landscapes have been the source of inspiration for much of our art, culture and increasingly for science.
Major Issues
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No issues provided.
EH Engineering Solutions
Wetland restoration: Restore wetlands to improve water
Wetland restoration: Restore wetlands to improve water filtration and provide habitats for wildlife. Reforestation and revegetation: Plant native species to stabilize the soil, improve water retention and increase biomass production.
Biofilters: Use biofilters to improve water quality
Biofilters: Use biofilters to improve water quality by removing contaminants
Video camara systems arranged to monitor the
Video camara systems arranged to monitor the wildlife of the place and its interaction with the water of the lagon
The current production systems and their relationship
The current production systems and their relationship with the ecological flow of the Tajzara Lagoons Basin will be evaluated according to the methodology provided through the Global Environmental flow calculator tool
Project Activities
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Hydrological monitoring. Ecological and biodiversity monitoring. Raise awareness of the ecological flow among the populations that use water in agricultural production. Implementation of technologies inspired by nature-based solutions. Develop local capacities to address ecohydrology aspects. Develop regional climate change indicators associated with the Tajzara lagoons.
Expected Outcomes
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