29/09/2018
Valenzuela
Marsh, an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA), is under threat from
dredging and forest clearance. The marsh is home to a number of
internationally threatened species, but the recent commencement of dredging the
Riachuelo river and the clearance of riverside forests poses a significant
hazard to the wildlife of the area.
The
reason given for dredging is to prevent flooding following heavy
rains in the region last year which caused a significant rise in water levels.
Valenzuela Marsh spreads out at the mouth of the Riachuelo river, in Corrientes
Province just south of the Paraguayan border, and many people live along its
banks. However, scientists have warned that any dredging would only be a
short-term solution, lowering the water levels temporarily, and the removal of
mangrove forests could in fact increase flooding in future years.
This
would mean dredging would need to take place frequently in future years
(possibly annually), costing more and damaging the environment further. Not
only is the practice ineffective, but the destruction of the riverside
forests will remove the natural regulation of water levels and purity in this
section of the Riacheulo, while simultaneously lowering the water quality, and
the fish and crustacean populations that live there.
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