The Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF), officially launched this Monday, the 18th, in Brasília, the Amazon Aquifer Systems (AAS) Project: “Towards a Better Understanding of Amazon Aquifer Systems for their Protection and Sustainable Management”, a regional initiative aimed at strengthening scientific knowledge and the sustainable management of groundwater in the Amazon. The launch brought together representatives from the eight ACTO Member Countries, including national water authorities and groundwater specialists, as well as representatives of the partner institutions responsible for financing and implementing the project, which will have ACTO as the executing entity.
During the opening session, delegations highlighted the strategic relevance of the initiative for strengthening Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in the Amazon Basin. Although the Amazon is globally recognized for its abundance of surface waters, aquifer systems play a fundamental role in water security, ecosystem maintenance and climate regulation in the region, especially during drought periods. However, these groundwater resources remain poorly understood and face growing threats associated with climate change, contamination, unregulated exploitation and increasing human pressure on natural resources.
“This project represents a strategic opportunity to protect Amazonian aquifer systems that are still little known and to advance more effective processes for the conservation and protection of these groundwater resources. We will work to ensure that this initiative continues to be an important flagship of ACTO,” said Edith Paredes, Administrative Director of ACTO.
Representing UNEP, Isabelle Vanderbeck emphasized that the project goes beyond the scientific dimension and seeks to strengthen regional groundwater governance. “This project will support countries in collecting information and strengthening groundwater management. Historically, groundwater receives little attention at the global level, so this initiative represents an opportunity to position the Amazon as an international reference on this issue,” she stated.
Tiago Pena, Senior Specialist in the Water and Sanitation Division of the IDB in Brazil, reaffirmed the institution’s support for the regional process. “The IDB reaffirms its commitment to technically support countries throughout this process, promoting regional coordination, capacity strengthening and the generation of regional public goods. We trust in the success of this initiative for the benefit of Amazonian populations and future generations,” he said.
With an expected duration of five years, the AAS Project seeks to advance towards a better understanding of Amazonian aquifer systems, promoting scientific foundations that contribute to decision-making and integrated water resources management in the region. The initiative contributes to the implementation of the Strategic Actions 2 and 3 of the Strategic Action Programme (SAP) for the Integrated Water Resources Management of the Amazon Basin, related to the protection, management and monitoring of Amazonian aquifers, as well as to the development of a regional programme for the protection and sustainable use of groundwater.
Project components
The AAS Project is structured around five complementary components, covering scientific research, strengthening transboundary governance, implementation of pilot projects, development of technical and institutional capacities, and the formulation of a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis and a chapter of the Strategic Action Program (PAE) for Amazonian aquifer systems.
According to Jorge Abad, Regional Coordinator of the AAS Project, the initiative seeks to deepen understanding of the connections between different environmental systems in the Amazon. “The project adopts a multi-process and multi-scale integration approach. We seek to better understand the interactions between aquifers, forests, rivers and the atmosphere, considering Amazonian hydrological cycles at different scales,” he explained.
According to Abad, the proposal aims to strengthen scientific understanding of underground flows and their relationship with Amazonian environmental systems, contributing to more integrated public policies and long-term regional strategies. Planned actions include hydrogeological research, monitoring, modelling, institutional analyses and strengthening regional cooperation for groundwater management.
Pilot projects
The project’s third component includes the implementation of eight pilot projects in Amazonian countries, focused on innovative solutions for groundwater monitoring, protection and sustainable management.
The initiatives include studies on the impacts of gold mining on aquifers in Bolivia; multi-municipal cooperation mechanisms for groundwater protection in Colombia; hydrogeological characterization of the aquifer system in the Napo River Basin in Ecuador; hydrogeological assessments for water security in Peru; mapping of groundwater resources in communities in Suriname; actions to protect natural recharge areas in Venezuela; as well as binational projects between Brazil and Bolivia and between Guyana and Suriname.
Among the binational pilots, the initiative between Brazil and Bolivia stands out for its focus on strengthening governance of transboundary groundwater resources between Cobija, Brasiléia and Epitaciolândia, integrating technical-scientific studies, institutional aspects, environmental education and protocols that may be replicated in other areas of the Amazon.
Another binational initiative will bring together Guyana and Suriname in actions focused on the integrated assessment and sustainable protection of transboundary sedimentary aquifers in the coastal regions of both countries. The project aims to expand scientific knowledge about these shared systems and test innovative approaches for the sustainable management of groundwater in areas vulnerable to environmental and climate pressures.
The strategic importance of Amazonian aquifers
Amazonian Aquifer Systems constitute a vast network of groundwater extending across different countries of the Amazon Basin and still remain poorly understood scientifically. Despite the abundance of rivers in the region, groundwater is essential for human supply, ecosystem maintenance and climate resilience, especially during dry periods. By strengthening scientific knowledge, regional governance and transboundary cooperation, the AAS Project seeks to contribute to the protection of these strategic systems and to the long-term water sustainability of the Amazon.
