Environment: Rio de la Plata Fish and Fisherfolk Under Threat

[Louisiana1976]

BUENOS AIRES, Dec 21 (IPS) - A study by more than 30 experts from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay warns of the threat menacing the survival of fish species and 50 riverside settlements in the Río de la Plata basin, which is the second largest river system in South America after the Amazon basin and contains a wealth of biodiversity.

"We wanted the governments of the countries in the La Plata Basin to have a tool for their natural resource managers, so that they would be aware of the threat hanging over these species and take measures for their conservation," biology professor Julieta Peteán, one of the study's authors, told IPS.

The study reports research on biological aspects of the La Plata Basin, which contains some 220 fish species, but also analyses socioeconomic effects on local communities, as well as existing legislation. There are 130 million people living in the basin, including 20,000 artisanal fisherfolk who live in 50 urban centres, ranging in size from small villages to cities.

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