{"query_echo":{"q":"","filters":{"geography":["Santa Cruz Department"]},"warnings":[{"code":"facet_value_not_in_vocabulary","message":"Value 'Santa Cruz Department' for facet 'geography' is not in the controlled vocabulary."}]},"total":{"value":2,"relation":"eq"},"page":1,"page_size":20,"self":"https://climateinsightsdirectory.org/api/v1/search?geography=Santa+Cruz+Department","stability":"beta","ai_marking":{"digital_source_type":{"uri":"http://cv.iptc.org/newscodes/digitalsourcetype/trainedAlgorithmicMedia","name":"Created using Generative AI"},"notice":"Summary and key insights are generated using artificial intelligence."},"results":[{"id":"sei-001140","url":"https://climateinsightsdirectory.org/document/sei-001140","title":"Considering decentralized water infrastructure and land use change in hydrologic analysis","publisher":{"name":"Stockholm Environment Institute","organization":"stockholm-environment-institute"},"document_type":"fact sheet","language":"en","date_published":"2022-01","source_url":"https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/220122a-burton-mautner-atajados-fact-sheet-2114b.pdf","generator":"Climate Insights Directory","generated_fields":["summary","key_insights","climate_tags","geography_discussed","analysis_type"],"summary":{"text":"The report examines how agricultural expansion and the proliferation of decentralized water storage, such as 'atajados' (artificial ponds), are altering the hydrologic balance in Bolivia's Chiquitano dry forest. Using remote sensing and field verification, researchers identified significant volumes of unmapped surface water storage and increasing groundwater extraction, which may reduce baseflows and threaten downstream ecosystems. The document argues that current hydrologic models lack this decentralized data and recommends improved regulation and monitoring of water use to support long-term planning.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"sei-001140#summary","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},"key_insights":[{"text":"Agricultural expansion and urban development in the Chiquitano dry forest are driving significant land use changes, including increased deforestation. In the San Ignacio de Velasco district, annual deforestation rates rose from 30 square kilometres per year in 2005 to 210 square kilometres in 2018.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"sei-001140#insight-1","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"There is a substantial amount of unmapped artificial surface water storage, primarily cattle watering ponds known as atajados, which are not currently included in regional hydrologic models. Remote sensing identified 31.6 million cubic metres of storage in unlined artificial ponds, representing 18.7% of the full natural flow of the surveyed catchments during the driest month.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"sei-001140#insight-2","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Groundwater extraction is increasing, particularly through the installation of electric pump systems. Of the 146 identified wells with electric pumps, more than one-third were drilled in the last 10 years, with an estimated capacity of 257,437 cubic metres per month.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"sei-001140#insight-3","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"The use of artificial surface storage and agricultural land clearing may negatively impact the hydrologic water balance by reducing deep percolation and baseflow while increasing surface runoff. This can lead to excessively low baseflows in the dry season, potentially threatening downstream users and ecosystems.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"sei-001140#insight-4","date_modified":"2026-10-23"}],"climate_tags":["land-use change","deforestation"],"geography_discussed":["San Ignacio de Velasco Municipality","California","Amazon River Basin","La Plata River Basin"],"frame_perspective":[],"analysis_type":["hydrologic analysis","remote sensing","field verification"]},{"id":"sei-001974","url":"https://climateinsightsdirectory.org/document/sei-001974","title":"The Chiquitania fires: the role of water resources in forest restoration plans","publisher":{"name":"Stockholm Environment Institute","organization":"stockholm-environment-institute"},"document_type":"fact sheet","language":"en","date_published":"2020-10","source_url":"https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/the-chiquitania-fires-the-role-of-water-resources-in-forest-restoration-plans.pdf","generator":"Climate Insights Directory","generated_fields":["summary","key_insights","climate_tags","geography_discussed","analysis_type"],"summary":{"text":"In response to the 2019 'megafire' in the Chiquitano Forest, which burned approximately 3.6 million hectares, the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) developed a pilot framework to help Bolivian policymakers use watersheds as the primary management unit for land and water planning. The framework combines remote sensing data on land use and fire from 2001 to 2019 with watershed maps and water-related indicators, such as groundwater recharge areas, to identify vulnerable zones. While current restoration plans in the Santa Cruz Department focus on socio-economic and governance actions, they lack water resource components. SEI's tool distinguishes between fires in intact forests versus those in areas already converted to agriculture and identifies northern Chiquitania as having the highest groundwater recharge potential. Future work involves adding criteria like ecosystem relevance and population size, and developing a regional-scale model using the Water Evaluation And Planning (WEAP) tool to quantify the hydrological impacts of forest cover loss.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"sei-001974#summary","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},"key_insights":[{"text":"The 2019 'megafire' in the Chiquitano Forest was one of the largest in Bolivian history, affecting nearly 10% of the Santa Cruz Department with approximately 3.6 million hectares burned.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"sei-001974#insight-1","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Existing restoration plans launched by national and regional agencies in Bolivia, such as the Plan De Recuperación De Las Zonas Afectadas Por Incendios En El Departamento De Santa Cruz, do not address water resource issues.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"sei-001974#insight-2","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"SEI developed a prioritization tool using Tableau that integrates remote sensing data from 2001 to 2019 with watershed maps and groundwater recharge indicators to identify the most vulnerable watersheds.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"sei-001974#insight-3","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Analysis shows that the northern Chiquitania region possesses the highest number of groundwater wells and the greatest groundwater recharge potential, and has remained less impacted by fires to date.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"sei-001974#insight-4","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Forest cover loss has been driven by the steady advancement of the agricultural frontier since 2001, with the pace of conversion to cropping areas increasing since 2016.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"sei-001974#insight-5","date_modified":"2026-10-23"}],"climate_tags":["forest fire","forest restoration","water resource","groundwater recharge","land use","deforestation"],"geography_discussed":["Santa Cruz Department"],"frame_perspective":[],"analysis_type":["framework proposal","impact assessment","spatial analysis"]}]}