Our stories
Safeguarding the La Plata Basin: communities unite for change
What is the impact of the Wetlands Without Borders initiative? Through our stories, you’ll discover how local communities, ecosystems, and wildlife are being protected and restored. From halting destructive projects to empowering local voices, each story highlights the efforts to safeguard the vital wetlands and rivers of the La Plata Basin.
Argentina’s Matanza-Riachuelo Biocultural Corridor
The Matanza-Riachuelo River, which runs through the city of Buenos Aires, is known to be one of the most polluted waterways in the world. Yet it also contains many important ecosystems that play a key role in the lives of millions of people, and countless plant and animal species. Wetlands without Borders member FARN is working to draw attention to the natural and cultural value and diversity of the Matanza-Riachuelo basin and other valuable ecosystems throughout the La Plata Basin. Through...
La Plata Basin’s Agroecological Seal of Identity
Hundreds of farmers across the La Plata Basin are engaged in agroecology, a system of farming that works in harmony with ecosystems, helps protect and restore biodiversity and strengthens farmers and their communities. To support and promote their efforts, we have developed the La Plata Basin’s Agroecological Seal of Identity. Introduced in 2020, the seal of identity highlights the value of agroecological practices and the quality of agroecological products. The seal helps show agroecology’s...
Celebrating the Paraguay River – Dia do Rio Paraguai
Every year, more than a thousand people gather from far and near in the Brazilian city of Cáceres on 14 November to honour and celebrate the Paraguay River. The Dia do Rio Paraguai celebration dates back to 2000, when communities mobilised for the first time – with success – against a proposed waterway, known as the Hidrovía Paraguay-Parana, which severely threatened the free flow of the region’s rivers, and the health of the wetlands and its peoples. Since then, 14 November symbolises the...
Protecting the Jauquara River – a community protocol for consultation and consent
In Vao Grande, the Rio Jauquara Popular Committee is working to protect the Jauquara River and the lives and livelihoods of the area’s Afro-Brazilian Quilombola community. Organised with the support the Wetlands without Borders network in 2018, the committee has successfully halted the construction of a small dam on the Jauquara river and set up a consultation protocol which serves as a model for other committees. Mapping the territory The community-based organisation PesquisAção, together...