Water is a natural resource of great importance to all living beings, acquiring social, economic and political relevance to the global society. Though, its quantitative distribution is not homogeneous and the maintenance of its quality to meet the different demands has been compromised by the uses and inefficiency of water management systems. In the case of transboundary waters, the problem is even greater, since they require exclusive legal treatment, since they are located in two or more countries, with consequences for all those who share it, as is the case in South America, the area privileged in terms of water availability. In this context, this article takes as a case study the La Plata Basin, one of the main South American river basins, to discuss its management and to analyze some of the conflicts that have occurred related to the use of water resources. To fulfill the proposed objectives, the work approach is multidisciplinary, permeating concepts of geography, international relations, law, geopolitics and environment.

1. FLACSO-ISA 2018
T R A N S B O U N D A R Y
W A T E R S A N D W A T E R
C O N F L I C T S - C U R R E N T
P E R S P E C T I V E S F O R
T H E M A N A G E M E N T O F
S O U T H A M E R I C A N
W A T E R S
I S A B E L A B A T T I S T E L L O E S P Í N D O L A
2 0 1 8 - J U L Y

2. Our planet embraces more than 1.3 billion
cubic kilometers of water, but only 2.5% of
it is fresh and less than 1% is easily
accessible to human
WATER

3. W A T E R
Natural resource
Human history
Conflicts and disputes
Celebration
Human right

5. Water is the element that
interconnects the complex
web of food, energy,
climate, economic growth,
and human security.

7. T R A N S B O U N D A R Y W A T E R S
of the world population are affected by
these rivers that covers more than half of
the land surface according to WWAP -
United Nations World Water Assessment
Programme and UN-Water (2018)
40%

8. T R A N S B O U N D A R Y W A T E R S
countries are sharing water bodies
(rivers, lakes, basin and aquifers)
with another country
(UN-WATER, 2018).
153

9. T R A N S B O U N D A R Y W A T E R S
Rivers that are shared by two or more
States according to WWAP - United
Nations World Water Assessment
Programme and UN-Water (2018)
260

10. International River Basin Register (2017)
Transboundary river basin of the World

11. T R A N S B O U N D A R Y
W A T E R S
Unique type of resource
Highly political
Complex
Heterogenous
Huge potential for
cooperation and conflict
generation

12. Are considered as a unique type
of resource because, although
they belong under the
sovereignty of two or more
States, they cannot be
considered exclusive and are,
therefore, collective and should
be equally shared
T R A N S B O U N D A R Y W A T E R

13. T R A N S B O U N D A R Y W A T E R S
M A N A G E M E N T
-Water uses
-Water rules
-Territorialities
three major issues to
consider

14. LA
PLATA
BASIN
Stands out for
its cooperation
in the use of
transboundary
water in South
America

15. 45.6% of it is in Brazil, 30.9% in
Argentina, 12.8% in Paraguay, 7%
in Bolivia and only 4.9% in
Uruguay
With a population of more than 110
million people, it covers an area of more
than three million square kilometers
and is responsible for the production of
70% of GDP of the countries that share it
L A P L A T A B A S I N

16. L A P L A T A
B A S I N
There are several economic activities developed along the La
Plata Basin. Most of the activities are related to urban services
and agriculture, but also to the livestock, industrial, mining,
energy transport (navigation), ecosystem protection and tourism
sectors.
According to CIC (2017), agriculture is the main economic
activity developed in the La Plata Basin.

17. Extreme hydrological events related to
variability and climate change;
Lack of common standards,
instruments and parameters for water
quality, control and monitoring;
Changes in land use;
Lack of capture protection methods;
Lack of an integrated management way
with surface resources and climate.
Lack of a global vision and capacity to
generate participatory processes with
the actors involved for a balanced
resolution;
-Intense floods;
-Long periods of drought;
- Loss of water quality;
-Water contamination by organic and
chemical agents;
-Limitations in the control and
monitoring network;
-Sedimentation of water bodies and
courses;
-Limitation of waterways and ports;
- Increasing erosion and land
degradation;
- Loss of vegetal cover.
Critical
transboundary
issues
Possible
consequences

18. CONFLICTS
IN THE LA
PLATA BASIN
According to CIC (2017, p.
13), even with its water
richness, diversity,
biological productivity and
economic
representativeness, is one
of the "most affected
socially and economically
by cyclical floods and
persistent droughts".

19. CONFLICTS
AND
PROBLENS
IN THE
LA PLATA
BASIN

20. T H A N K Y O U
I S A B E L A B A T T I S T E L L O E S P Í N D O L A