The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

The 9th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties

Regional Strategy for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of High Andean Wetlands

1. Introduction

The current "Regional Strategy for Conservation and Sustainable Use of High Andean Wetlands" was formulated within the Ramsar Convention framework, with the active participation of the countries that enclose High Andean wetlands and related areas [1].

This strategy is a guiding framework for regional cooperation among the countries involved, within a ten year projection period (2005-2015). Its purpose is the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands and wetland complexes in páramos, jalca, puna, and other High Andean ecosystems that include glaciers, lakes, lagoons, wet meadows, bofedales, mallines, highland vegas, salt pans and peatlands, rivers, water streams and other water bodies, defined as wetlands within the Ramsar Convention classification, including catchments, located at the Andean Range and other mountain systems in Latin America.

The strategy firmly recommends participation of national and local government bodies; indigenous, peasant and black communities; productive sector, NGOs, and academic and research institutions, in coordination with supranational instances such as the Ramsar Convention, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Andean Community of Nations (CAN), The Andean Development Corporation (CAF), MERCOSUR, international organizations related to the Ramsar Convention, and the technical networks that work at páramos and punas, as well as other interested actors.

To make this possible, it is necessary to count on the commitment of the governments, and an evident political will, in order to ease information exchange, build capacities devoted to favour sustainable management of the High Andean wetlands, and preserve them to continue providing essential goods and services, which derive from their water resources and biodiversity, to millions of people in this region of the world.

This document is a result of a collective construction process, promoted by the group of institutions that created the so-called Contact Group on High Andean Wetlands. It is a dynamic text that will be enriched, completed and validated with the input of numerous government and non-government interested actors as it is being implemented.

2. Background

During the II Pan-American Ramsar Convention Meeting (Guayaquil, Ecuador, July 2002) a Contact Group was established, comprising the Ramsar focal points of seven Andean countries -Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela, as well as Costa Rica, included for its páramo ecosystems, in order to promote actions that would benefit conservation and sustainable management of the distinctive wetlands of the High Andean mountains. International organizations related to the Convention (IUCN, WWF, Wetlands International, Birdlife International) became part of this initiative, as well as the Ramsar regional training centre (CREHO), and two active technical networks: the International Working Group on Páramos (Grupo Páramo) and the High Andean Flamingos Conservation Group (GCFA).

The Contact Group prepared a draft Resolution on High Andean wetlands, approved at Ramsar COP 8, in Valencia, Spain (November 2002), through Resolution VIII.39: High Andean wetlands as strategic ecosystems. This Resolution is related and supplementary to other Resolutions (i.e. VIII.5, VIII.11, VIII.12, and VIII.17) approved at the same COP. With regards to Resolution VIII.12 (Enhancing the wise use and conservation of mountain wetlands), the text proposed by the Contact Group is a suitable complement that focuses on the regional scope, giving special attention to the strategic value of these ecosystems in several countries in South and Central America that are under-represented in the Convention.

Since approval, the former Resolutions have resulted into several national and regional initiatives. In order to enhance and coordinate such efforts, as well as promote the implementation of Resolution VIII.39 within the context of the next COP that will take place in Uganda in November 2005, a workshop (Quito, Ecuador, March 29-30 2004) was organized by the Contact Group, the Ramsar Convention Secretariat and the IUCN Regional Office for South America, in order to agree on the guidelines and elements to compose a joint strategy for the conservation and sustainable use of the High Andean wetlands, design the base for an action plan, and create a regional platform for cooperation, information and exchange of best practices. A subsequent electronic mail discussion panel took place to refine the first draft of the strategy, which was presented and modified during the working sessions at the III Pan-American Ramsar Convention Meeting (Mérida, México, November 2004). The Contact Group prepared the final version at the strategy workshop carried out in the city of Salta (Argentina), in February 2005.

The basic structure of the strategy was defined based on the results obtained at the workshop and the valuable contributions made by the Group members. This basic structure includes a situational analysis, a conceptual framework (mission, vision, principles, scope and objectives), and several action proposals that represent the fundamental resources to create a work plan that will guide the strategy implementation.

3. General Characteristics of High Andean wetlands

The High Andean wetlands include those wetlands and wetland complexes that are part of páramo, jalca and puna ecosystems, as well as other High Andean and related ecosystems. Within the framework of the strategy, the wetlands are not considered or treated as isolated water bodies, but as complexes or systems, and as a consequence, their micro catchments are included. In this same regard, the strategy encompasses the functional interrelationships - environmental, social, cultural and economic - of the High Andean wetlands, making use of satellite or related systems in other altitude levels.

The Patagonian riparian habitats (mallines or wet prairies) form a well defined landscape unit based on its geomorphology and vegetation, but they are fundamentally related to the hydrologic mechanism that is analogous in all of them. Mallines are found in the high mountain range as well as the Patagonian extra-Andean plateau. In many cases mallines may lead to the formation of peat bogs.

3.1 Ecological importance of High Andean Wetlands

High Andean wetlands play a vital role in the development of the Andean basins, as well as other hydrographical systems, since their streams flow to the Amazonian watersheds and to the Pacific and Caribbean coasts.

The wetlands and wetland complexes maintain a unique biological diversity and are characterized by a high level of plant and animal endemism. They are also shelters and breeding zones for a great number of species with conservation problems, particularly migratory bird species, such as Phoenicopterus andinus, Ph. jamesi, Netta erythropthalma, Theristicus melanopis, Gallinula melanops, and fish and amphibians such as Atelopus muisca. In addition, they are a fundamental component of the habitat for highly economic and ecological important species like vicuna, guanaco or chinchilla.

Likewise, the Ramsar Convention has considered them fragile ecosystems. Their high level of fragility is related to natural causes (i.e., extensive draughts at punas), as well as anthropic causes (i.e., unsustainable agriculture, livestock overgrazing, and unsustainable mining at the páramo and puna). Many are being lost rapidly, mainly because of bad management and lack of knowledge of their economic and ecologic importance.

3.2 Types and origins of High Andean wetland

The High Andean wetlands are located mainly at the páramo, jalca and puna ecosystems, besides other High Andean ecosystems. They form systems with a great variety of environments that may include, according to their type and origin: freshwater lakes and lagoons (glacier, volcanic and tectonic), salt pans (old seas evaporating), saline lagoons (old seas with low fresh water supply), brakish lagoons (old seas with more freshwater diluted), bofedales and peat logs (flooding or underground sources), thermal waters and geysers (volcanic activity close to water sources), mallines or wet prairies (with surface or underground supply that gives them the category of oasis in arid zones). Likewise, according to the kind of vegetation, it is possible to find several formations including totorales (dense flooded or semi-flooded sedge formations, close to lakes and lagoons), vegas (dense or very dense herb formations, integrated by temporary surface draining associated with saline streams or soils), chuscales (dense formations of Chusquea associated with humid soils), and many others.

3.3 Bio-regions that include High Andean wetlands

3.3.1 Páramos

Páramos constitute a bioregion of the high tropical mountains (Los Andes and the High Central American mountains), characterized by low temperatures, severe climate variations during the day, and year-round relative humidity over 80%.

The soil in páramos is usually rich in organic matter, with a high flood storage capacity. The vegetal core is usually coarse straw, on which several relatively complex plant communities develop, such as rosettes, shrubs, bamboos, as well as waterlogged moss or vascular plant patches.

Most of the páramo extension is related to high humidity. Páramos are characteristic for their great diversity of freshwater sources, coming from glaciers, rivers, lakes and other streams that emerge from the underground. This high humidity concentration makes this biome almost totally formed by humid grazing and swamps, except for páramos that are somehow dryer due to microclimates.

3.3.2 Jalca

The Jalca corresponds to a transitional bioregion between the páramo and the puna. It is located on the north mountain rage of Peru. It has many structural and functional similarities with the páramo, presenting high relative humidity and considerable precipitation ranges, as well as severe daily climate fluctuations such as in the puna, and noticeable, but not severe seasonal changes.

3.3.3 Puna

The Puna is a bioregion associated with the Andean highlands characterized by intense cold, aridity and daily temperature fluctuations. Because of its latitude, it is subject to drastic seasonal climate changes. The vegetation of this bioregion is characterized by small scattered coarse straw patches and minute trees and bushes. There are numerous basins, mostly endorheic, with patches of azonal vegetation at their base level, with the aspect of an oasis in a predominantly deserted zone. The typical wetlands in the puna are salt pans, bofedales and vegas.

3.3.4 Andean Patagonia

Several types of wetlands are found here, including lakes, streams, river valleys (many used for irrigation) and mallines (wet prairies, also known as high vegas). Mallines are a type of wetland of generally limited dimensions, located at a geologic formation consisting of a nearby phreatic aquifer, which humidifies the ground by means of capillary ascent that is facilitated by the characteristics of the aquifer, usually containing a high level of volcanic ashes (andosols). The ground humidity allows sustaining a dense and diverse vegetal community, capable of supporting a high livestock load during certain periods of the year. These formations stretch from the high Patagonian mountain range to the low altitude extra-Andean plateau, forming the water system that flows to the great rivers and affects their water quality. They are fragile systems because they are prone to natural or anthropic degradation (desiccation and salification) resulting in impact on the whole hydrologic system. Within the remarkable extension and dryness of the extra-Andean Patagonia, mallines constitute the only humidity concentration spots. As a consequence, they are the preferred shepherding places for cattle and sheep, and they make up the base of livelihoods for the local indigenous communities and cattle raising settlements, frequently over-exploited and degraded.

3.4 Ecosystem services from High Andean wetlands

The main good provided by the High Andean wetlands is water, as well as some of the most relevant ecosystem functions and environmental services related to water resources (including water storage, flow regulation, hydroelectric generation, and others). Actually, one of the most important services is a permanent supply of drinking water for human use, fresh water for agricultural land irrigation, and hydroelectric generation. In fact, many cities depend on the High Andean wetlands due to these fundamental services.

Other environmental services that should be included are: ground stability, landslide and alluvion prevention, maintaining environmental balance to allow the survival of unique flora and fauna species; carbon fixation, atmosphere purification and climate stabilization.

It is important to mention that the services and goods provided by the High Andean wetlands are not unlimited, and that degradation of these ecosystems brings about the loss not only of essential water resources, but also of many other benefits that such an environment offers. Therefore if we are to continue taking advantage of them, we must preserve them, and their utilization should not exceed a critical threshold beyond which their deterioration becomes irreversible.

According to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, the environmental ecosystem services are the benefits that people get from the ecosystems. These include supply, regulation and cultural services that directly affect people, in addition to the services that are necessary to sustain ecological processes (support).

Table 1: Ecosystem Services [2]

3.5 Economic Importance

The High Andean wetlands are an important component of the regional economy. To a great extent, they provide the fresh water consumed by millions of inhabitants in the Andean capital cities (Bogotá, Lima, Quito, and Sucre), as well as other highly inhabited cities like Mérida, San Cristobal, Medellín, Cali, Cuenca, Trujillo, Arequipa, Cusco, El Alto, Arica, Iquique, Antofagsta, La Paz and Cochabamba.

Similarly, a substantial part of the agricultural production of the region depends on the High Andean watersheds, including the wetland systems, as a basic source of water [3].

Productive activities at the High Andean wetlands are related to the altitude level in which they are located. In the puna, jaca and páramo zones the predominant activities are mining, raising cattle, sheep and camelidae, fishing and forest industry. It is also important to mention that extraction of plants and peat log for use as fuel is a livelihood, because a great number of rural people in many areas depend on firewood to cook.

At a lower altitude, several crops are grown, mostly potato, other tubers and Andean cereals. Extensive cattle farming is favoured at the High Andean wetlands with the generation of fodder for wild and domestic species such as alpaca, llama, goats, sheep and cattle.

Many Andean communities of people depend on wetlands for survival. Some of the animals that live in the wetlands, such as water birds and fish, are important protein supplements for peasants. In addition, employment and genuine income opportunities for the communities living in these areas are provided by activities such as fishing, leather and wool trade, as well as other products manufactured from vegetal fiber like bulrush, sedge and bamboo from the páramo. The fiber from vicuna is one of the best in the world, and alpaca has very good qualities; therefore raising camelidae is becoming very important for the economy of people in the puna, and it represents a sustainable economic alternative.

The High Andean wetlands are sites of great beauty and unique landscapes that gather a high number of endemic species and a very valuable cultural diversity that represents an enormous attraction for ecotourism and scientific tourism. In this regard, visits, recreational activities and nature-oriented tourism are already generating considerable income to High Andean sites in almost all the countries in the subregion, and should contribute to the development of the quality of life of indigenous and local communities, reinforce and educate people on the value of these ecosystems, and preserve their natural and cultural heritage.

3.6 Cultural Importance

The High Andean mountains have long been inhabited by a great variety of native cultures, the most remarkable of which is the Inca. Nowadays cultures include Quichua in Ecuador; Quechua in Peru and Bolivia; Aymará in Argentina, Chile, Peru and Bolivia; Coyas and Atacameños in Chile and Argentina; and the Mapuches in the Patagonian region; as well as the Paeces and Guanabianos in Colombia. Today, the Uru, who live in the Titicaca and Poopó lakes, with their millennial aquatic culture, have become very scarce in population; one of the reasons for this is the deterioration of the wetlands, which has considerably reduced the resources that these people have traditionally used.

Different Andean cultures have managed these ecosystems in a sustainable manner and have created, for example, artificial peatlands to stimulate the presence of vicuna and to breed alpaca and llamas; they have also made freshwater reservoirs, irrigation channels and sukakollos, which in spite of being built several centuries ago are still functioning in some regions. Nevertheless, water management and the hydro technology of these cultures has gradually disappeared since the time of colonization, but it has been well documented by anthropologists specialized in Andean ecology.

Indigenous peoples have used the water in wet prairie mallines in a very particular way (a tradition that is disappearing), and have also introduced mallines into dry land. This has provided understanding of the basic hydrological functioning of mallines, and has made it possible to propose it as a sustainable method, opposed to the classic technique of implementing traditional irrigation systems over mallines, with a high risk of disruption and very high costs.

The High Andean wetlands are currently essential for the survival of many traditional and indigenous communities who inhabit the surrounding areas and make use of a broad range of goods such as food (fish, water birds, eggs, algae, and salt), fibers, fuel, fertilizers and minerals.

The considerable amount of goods and services provided by the wetlands to many indigenous peoples and other traditional communities is probably the reason why a religious mythic meaning has been ascribed to them, particularly to lakes, which are considered sacred and have a series of community regulations for their respectful utilization. It is important to understand the rich conceptions about water that Andean peoples have traditionally had, and to incorporate the native population into its management and conservation.

For all the previous reasons, this strategy foresees to undergo participation and consultation processes with local communities, in order to collect their perception and vision, as well as traditional wetland management practices, because without the participation of local actors it is not likely that wetland preservation will be successful in the long run. Therefore, the frameworks will be based on the guidelines from the Resolutions approved by the Ramsar Convention, such as Resolution VII.8 Guidelines for establishing and strengthening local communities' and indigenous people's participation in the management of wetlands, Resolution VIII.38 Participatory Environmental Management (PEM) as a tool for management and wise use of wetlands, Resolution VIII.36 which refers to the wetland cultural values, and other resolutions.

In the same regard, considering population pressure and altitude expansion of the agricultural boundary, it is desirable to promote dialogue among traditional and scientific knowledge, focusing on conservation and sustainable use of these strategic and fragile natural systems.

4. Situation Assessment

Every country involved in this Regional Strategy submitted a situation assessment of their national High Andean wetlands, from the end of 2004 to the middle of 2005 [4]. The general content of such documents is the following:

• General data
• Situation, Trends and Pressures (Ecosystem dimension and human dimension)
• Responses: Strengths and Opportunities for Conservation and Sustainable Management
  ­ Governance
  ­ Research, Conservation and Sustainable Management Initiatives
  ­ Economic Assessment Initiatives
  ­ Sustainable use with community benefit

In some cases, preliminary inventories of the High Andean wetlands and related species were included. This is secondary information based on numerous research studies, compiled by the Ramsar Convention technical focal points. Nevertheless, the data referring to the number of High Andean wetlands and their extension by country are not comparable among them because the methodologies used for estimations have been generally different in terms of scales, and definitions of High Andean wetlands, wetland complex and wetland system. One of the challenges of this strategy will in fact be strengthening exchange and cooperation in terms of information and research.

This is valuable information that will serve as a base to better understand the context and natural dimension within which the activities of this Strategy and its Action Plan will take place. With the same purpose, a reflection on the social, cultural and economic conditions related to High Andean wetlands has also been gathered in these country analyses.

Another piece of valuable information is the information related to the institutional and legal frameworks, and the ongoing initiatives, in each country. This will help the people responsible for implementing the strategy, at the national and local scales, to better navigate within the context of the institutions and relevant actors, and to recognize existing processes that are valuable to be enhanced. (See summary in annex 1)

An overview of the regional condition, trends, and pressures affecting these wetlands by biome type is presented below. The information is based on the national situation assessment and the various discussions held during the preparation workshops for this Strategy.

4.1 Current Condition of High Andean Wetlands at a Regional Scale (Condition, Trends and Pressures) [5]

High Andean wetlands have been globally considered areas of high biological importance; however, the Conservation Assessment of the Terrestrial Eco-regions of Latin America and the Caribbean reports that the conservation condition of páramo and puna is critical to vulnerable (WWF and WB, 1995). The threat to these ecosystems jeopardizes High Andean wetlands because they are highly vulnerable and fragile ecosystems, particularly in terms of development pressures based on unsustainable practices and climatic change (Contact Group on High Andean Wetlands and IUCN South, 2004).

Notwithstanding the High Andean wetlands constitute a resource of high biological, ecological, economic, social, cultural and recreational value, they have not received the necessary attention from the government, the private sector, and other actors; therefore they are rapidly becoming one of the most endangered natural environments.

The most relevant causes of wetland degradation are: Water extraction for mining and agricultural uses, fragmentation of water systems, intense urbanization processes, uncontrolled burning, pollution, and the construction of great works of infrastructure; high population growth; and poorly integrated and segmented development planning (Abramovitz, 1996; Rangel, 2000; Canevari et al 2001; Hofstede et al, 2003; Contact Group on High Andean wetlands and IUCN South, 2004). There is a great variety of problems affecting the High Andean wetlands, depending on their location and characteristics. Table 2 offers a separate analysis of the condition, trends and pressures related to páramos, punas and mallines.

Table 2. High Mountain Ecosystems at Los Andes, Costa Rica and Panama: Condition, Trends and Pressures (High Andean wetlands perspective)

The previous table, prepared by IUCN-South, summarizes and reveals regional similarities in trends and problems of the High Andean wetlands. This was achieved using the situation assessment of each country and the information provided by the technical networks (Grupo Páramo and GCFA), WWF and IUCN, and other specialized sources. The individual country assessments and the consolidated analysis (Contact Group and IUCN-South, 2004) are an integral part of this Strategy.

4.2 Condition of the High Andean Wetlands per Country

The following are preliminary data from the High Andean wetlands inventory, developed as part of the High Andean Wetlands project carried out by Grupo Páramo and a network of organizations in the seven Andean countries and Costa Rica. The preliminary number of wetlands obtained from the project was 2703 wetlands and 191 wetland complexes, corresponding to more than 58 basins in the entire region.

The countries that have High Andean wetlands declared as Ramsar sites up to date are:

Table 3. High Andean Ramsar Sites (as of July 2005)

4.3 International Agreements

All the countries in the region are signatories to the Ramsar Convention and to other international agreements that directly or indirectly involve the High Andean wetlands (Biological Diversity-CBD, Desertification, Climate Change, and others). For example, in the case of CBD, biodiversity policies and strategies that include wetlands have been developed as a step to fulfil the Convention at the national level.

The Ramsar Convention provides a binding tool for conservation of wetlands of international importance. According to this tool, member countries have the responsibility of maintaining the ecological character of wetlands, developing actions for their conservation and sustainable use, and giving special attention to a selection of designated wetlands in the List of Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar sites) [6].

A relevant group of High Andean wetlands with high ecological value has been designated part of the Ramsar sites (table 3) and, as one of the commitments established in the Convention, sustainable development management plans have been developed in some of them.

Nevertheless, there is still a long way to go to achieve an effective, synergistic and integrated implementation of the mentioned conventions at the regional and national levels.

Regional tools such as the Subregional Action Programme for Sustainable Development of the American Puna, which is part of the Convention to Combat Desertification, CAN, and MERCOSUR, will also be implemented through this strategy.

4.4 Legislation and National Policies related to High Andean Wetlands [7]

Significant progress has been achieved in the region in terms of institutionalization of environmental management. There are environment ministries or related institutions in all countries, which have jurisdiction over the conservation and management of water resources and biodiversity. These offices are in charge of the policies related to wetlands and the fulfilment of the mandates from the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Ramsar Convention, and other conventions.

The most common strategy to provide legal protection to wetlands is by incorporating them into a category of protected area within a National System of Protected Areas. In some cases the High Andean wetlands have been protected under strict categories that have been instituted (e.g., Natural Monument). Additionally, as part of their national environmental policies, and under the Ramsar Convention, some countries have developed policies, strategies and/or action plans for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. This is the case of Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.

Many countries have also incorporated integrated water resources management (IWRM) into their regulations, but the plans for land use or the territorial re-ordering plans do not usually or only insufficiently consider the goal of keeping the integrity of water systems.

An important aspect to take into consideration is that in most Andean countries natural resources are owned or controlled by the State. For example in Colombia wetlands are public goods and have been legally considered as "area of special ecological importance"; therefore it is a duty of the state and private individuals to preserve these areas through actions such as establishing protected areas and undertaking actions that allow conservation and sustainable use. In recent years, there has been a growing tendency to privatize natural and water resources in some countries. In Chile, for example, concessionary water companies have to be paid for the use of water in the rural areas, which has created conflicts with peasant communities that are not able to pay for this resource. In Costa Rica, high wetlands are mainly protected by some category of wildlife area management, such as National Parks or Forest Reserves. In addition, their protection and conservation is properly regulated by the Organic Environmental Law.

In some countries, wetlands are, in practice, under private control, and even when these concessions are generally established in contracts with conditions such as a management plan, these do not always assure the sustainable use of the resource.

Another important element for wetland conservation is the mechanism for environmental impact assessment (EIA) that has been incorporated to the legislation of all the countries in the region. However, its implementation is weak because in many cases it is merely reduced to an administrative formality. Alternative development projects and a comparison of the impact for each alternative are not required to be submitted. Therefore, impact evaluations almost never admit alternative zero, that is, no intervention - they are limited to proposing compensation and mitigation measures and very rarely incorporate environmental impact reduction measures. Furthermore, mechanisms for community participation are not always made effective, and conservation of wetlands is not given the necessary importance. In this respect, it would be important to incorporate a policy requiring that any project that might present risk to wetlands to include an Environmental Impact Assessment before its execution.

There is a trend towards developing policies, strategies and action plans for the High Andean wetlands. As part of it, Chile has developed a national plan on this matter.

4.5 Perspectives

The preceding information shows that the High Andean wetlands should be considered strategic for the development of the Andean countries, and therefore the activities devoted to their conservation and sustainable use should receive priority attention from governments.

Maintaining the ecological integrity of High Andean wetlands and the goods and environmental services that they provide is crucial for the development of the region and each country involved, particularly to ensure a continued supply of water to the main Andean cities, especially in the north and central part of the Andes. Therefore efforts should be made to meet the needs of a growing population while not exceeding the sustainable limits of these ecosystems. To succeed in these endeavours, it is of great importance to obtain support from the governments and international cooperation agencies, as well as the involvement of local communities.

It is necessary to make efforts in order to create plans for catchments and major basins; therefore, it is necessary to integrate water resource management to the conservation of the wetlands.

It is important to highlight the fundamental role of understanding the hydrological functioning of wetlands, since the existence and availability of water controls all other aspects of the ecosystem: primary production, usage, habitat, and degradation risk. It is thus recommended to sponsor research projects on this topic, and exchange of best practices in different types of wetlands such as mallines and peat lands, which seem to function under the same hydrological principles.

It is also important to mention the need to develop management techniques suitable to the socioeconomic reality of local communities, since external technological packages will not necessarily be appropriate for the indigenous communities and/or to keep the ecological conditions of these systems.

Conservation of the biodiversity and geological uniqueness of the high Andean environment, for its intrinsic worth and its instrumental values, is a responsibility of all the countries involved in this Strategy. In this respect, the related high mountain ecosystems and wetlands are part of the action field of important international treaties such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention to Combat Desertification, the Convention on Migratory Species, the Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage, the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme, and others. Hence, it is very important to reach synergies between these instruments to effectively correct the existing problems. This Strategy also has the potential to contribute to the implementation of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development - Johannesburg 2002.

Over the years, due to the significance of the High Andean wetlands, important technical networks related to the High Andean wetland ecosystems have developed, including the International Working Group on Páramos (Grupo Páramo) and the High Andean Flamingos Conservation Group (GCFA). The first one involves government organizations, NGOs, research centres and representatives of the private sector from countries that enclose páramos and other countries with similar ecosystems. On the other hand, the Flamingos Group network (GCFA), which includes Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru, is integrated by government institutions, NGOs and universities from the four countries, and has planned joint actions that include important aspects of the Flamingos and their habitat conservation as part of the Ramsar Convention and the Convention on Migratory Species. Therefore their participation in this strategy is considered significant. Likewise, substantial input is expected from international organizations related to the Ramsar Convention.

At the national level, it has been planned to link the Strategy to the policies and national /province/ local development plans, emphasizing the matters related to Biodiversity (National Biodiversity Strategies), Water Resources (National Water Plans), Water Basins, Agriculture, Tourism, Culture, and others, from the beginning of its implementation.

It is also important to consider that this Strategy must take into account the high levels of poverty in the High Andean region, which is the result of a historical process of geographical and social inequality. Therefore, measures that help mitigate poverty must be incorporated, based on conservation and sustainable use projects, in order to increase employment options and income for the local peoples and improve basic services. This should include planning the expansion of the drinking water service for these peoples in a way that will not deteriorate wetlands.

The growing needs of these communities and the lack of planning are generating an increased competitiveness for the use of resources, especially water, resulting in numerous conflicts. For that reason it is necessary to organize the use of wetland resources with the participation of local peoples and achieve a more equal access and distribution at a local, national and regional scale. It is important to consider that if the local populations do not obtain economic benefit from the wetlands, it will