SNAPP: Western Amazonia: Balancing Infrastructure Development among Conservation of Waters, Wetlands and Fisheries

Topical experts will explore key questions related to the conservation of freshwater resources and human livelihoods in the flooded forests of Western Amazonia: 1) Where are the highest conservation value areas (HCVA) for the migratory fish on which food security in the Amazon depends? 2) What hydrological and limnological changes can be expected to impact migratory fish populations as a result of planned dams, hidrovías, and deforestation in the Andean headwaters? 3) How will climate change affect the seasonal flood and drought cycle of the Amazon? 4) How will human livelihoods be impacted by changes in water quality, water quantity, and fish availability caused by climate change and/or the development of upstream dams? These efforts will be followed by a set of workshops focused on policy and management recommendations with key decision makers and funding organizations. Spatial analyses and modeling using existing data and information on fisheries, ecological and regulated flows from planned dams, land use change, climate change, and human livelihoods will be used to evaluate a range of future scenarios for the conservation and development of the Western Amazon basin. Expert working groups will include staff from WCS and TNC as well as scientists from government, research, academic, and development institutions in Brazil, Peru, and the US. To ensure that scientific analyses and policy recommendations inform one another and are seamlessly integrated, a subset of members of the expert group on policy and management will serve as advisors to the management team and scientific working group leads throughout the project.