I anledning af World Wetlands Day har Bolivia besluttet at beskytte et vådområde på næsten 7 millioner hektar. Området kaldes Llanos de Moxos wetland og er på størrelse med Belgien og Holland til sammen.
“WWF (Verdensnaturfonden) applauds the government of Bolivia for taking bold action to protect these vital ecosystems,” said Jim Leape, WWF International Director General.
“The Amazon basin, covering nine countries, supports native species and the millions of people who live there – and plays an essential role in regulating the climate we all depend on. Healthy wetlands support the proper functioning of the whole Amazon,” noted he.
The Llanos de Moxos, located near the borders of Bolivia, Peru and Brazil, consists of tropical savannas with cyclical droughts and floods. These wetlands are especially prized for their rich natural diversity:
131 species of mammals (pattedyr) have been identified to date, 568 different birds, 102 reptiles (krybdyr), 62 amphibians (padder), 625 fish and at least 1.000 plant species.
Several species – including the giant otter and the Bolivian river dolphin – have been identified as vulnerable, endangered or at critical risk of extinction.
The region is traversed (gennemstrømmet) by three major rivers, the Beni in the west, the Iténez or Guaporé to the east, and the Mamoré in the central region. These rivers converge (løber sammen) to form the Madeira River, the major southern tributary of the Amazon River.
The Llanos de Moxos wetlands are important to avoid floods, maintain minimum flows in the rivers during the dry season and regulate the region’s hydrological cycle.
The area is sparsely populated, comprising seven indigenous territories and eight protected areas. Peasant communities and private properties also exist in the region, both mainly dedicated to farming.
Kilde: http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/press_releases/?207426/Bolivia-designates-worlds-largest-protected-wetland
