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In late October, 11 Nature Conservancy staff members took part in a fact-finding trip to the Magdalena River watershed in Colombia. Steve Haase, senior biohydrologist and GRP fellow, and Karin Krchnak, senior international water policy advisor to the GRP, participated in the trip. Nature.org recently interviewed Steve and Karin about what they learned and how the Great Rivers Partnership (GRP) can help advance conservation of the Magdalena River.

Nature.org:

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Karin Krchnak: Nature Conservancy staff in Colombia have been working in the watershed for several years, and two years ago, the Conservancy, Cormagdalena (the Colombian agency charged with managing the river) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers formed a partnership to work together to help address a range of challenges on the river. So a goal of this trip was to bring together staff from different parts of the Conservancy, including the GRP, government relations and the global freshwater team, to look at the river and the issues it faces, and see how we could better work together with partners in Colombia and the U.S. on river conservation in the near to long term.

Nature.org:

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Steve Haase: We started in the headwaters, which cut through a steep-sided canyon and, at this point, the river is spectacular. Farther downstream, after a number of tributary streams have joined the main river, it looks more like the Mississippi, very muddy with a huge sediment load. That said, however, there has been so little engineering of the lower portion of the river thus far that it still functions as a river should.

Answer: Karin Krchnak: I'm used to rivers like the Danube and Yangtze, which are literally highways filled with boat and barge traffic. I was surprised to only see five barges on the Magdalena in our entire time there. Yet, it is the backbone of Colombia's economy.

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Karin Krchnak: Colombia plans to build several dams on the Magdalena River and a dam on the Cauca, a major tributary to the Magdalena. If these dams aren't sited, built and operated in a sustainable way, they could reduce the flow of water to the river and adjacent cienegas (wet, marshy areas fed by groundwater) and degrade water quality.

Answer: Steve Haase: In addition to the impact of dams on water flow and sediment transport, many land use changes are taking place in the river's watershed. In the headwaters, forests are being removed from steep slopes to make way for agriculture. In the middle and lower portions of the watershed, forests are being converted to rice fields and grazing land for cattle, which typically destroys the riparian corridor as well. There are also water quality issues and the haphazard construction of levees in the lower river.

Nature.org:

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Steve Haase: All of us on the trip shared our collective feedback with our Colombian staff, and we will wait to hear from them on next steps. But one way I think the GRP can be helpful on the Magdalena is by replicating the experience we've had on the Yangtze River where we are helping Chinese agencies gather data about the river and its biodiversity and develop a monitoring plan. That will help us monitor the results of any future actions we may take to improve the health of the river.

Answer: Karin Krchnak: The monitoring can also lay a good foundation for Integrated River Basin Management on the Magdalena. This participatory, science-based approach to river management will help Colombians meet their needs for water and keep this magnificent river healthy and functioning.