17-01-13
On the lake bottom, now dry
We walked out on Lago Poopó this afternoon, a case study in the effects of changing climate and changing land uses on wetlands. Where once it covered an area of about 400 square miles to a depth of 3-12 feet, it now is just a flat sand plain dotted with salt-tolerant succulents. Its main source of water, Rio Desaguadero (flowing out of Lake Titicaca) has dried up as Titicaca’s level has fallen (in part due to loss of glaciers around it), and as what water remained was diverted to agriculture. This used to include quinoa farms around Lago Poopó, but these also failed as the soil was over-taxed during the quinoa boom of the last decade. Lago Poopó historically (and by this I mean dating back to pre-Inca times BC up to about 20 years ago) supported a thriving fishing industry for the villages on its banks. That’s all gone, too, obviously. Change is upon us, and is seen in changing livelihoods vividly here in Bolivia.
GAC Bolivia 2017
