STRENGTHENING CLIMATE RESILIENCE IN URBAN AMAZONIA

This case study examines the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus in the Cumbaza River watershed and the city of Tarapoto in San Martín, Peru. It analyzes how urbanization, deforestation, and climate change impact resource security and proposes a systems-based approach to strengthen climate resilience through green infrastructure and improved governance.

• The Cumbaza watershed has experienced significant deforestation, with 58% of forest cover lost between 1977 and 2005. This loss impairs the forest's ability to provide essential ecosystem services, particularly water regulation, which increases sedimentation in rivers and raises the cost and energy requirements for urban water treatment facilities operated by EMAPA.
• Water demand in the Cumbaza watershed is heavily dominated by agriculture, which accounts for 90% of withdrawals (approximately 70 million m3 per year), primarily for rice irrigation and aquaculture. Urban households account for 8% and agro-industries for 2%. Inefficient infrastructure leads to water losses of nearly 50% of the total volume withdrawn.
• The watershed is highly dependent on external energy and food sources. Food imports constitute 47% of total consumption, and the fossil fuel energy required to transport these imports from other regions accounts for over 90% of the watershed's total energy demands.
• There are stark differences in energy and food security between urban and rural populations. In rural and upper fringe areas, 94% of households rely on fuelwood for food preparation, compared to 23% in urban areas. Rural indigenous Kichwa communities also depend on forests for non-timber forest products, hunting, and drinking water.
• Projections for 2050 under a business-as-usual scenario indicate that the population will reach 335,000, leading to a 75% increase in food demand (to 17.4 million tons). This will require 61% more energy for transportation and agricultural production. Additionally, biomass demands for firewood and charcoal are projected to double to 96 million tons per year.
• To strengthen resilience, the report recommends prioritizing green infrastructure, including the reforestation of 1,500 hectares in the Ahuashiyacu and Shilcayo river sub-basins and 3,000 hectares across the broader watershed via agroforestry by 2050. Other recommendations include increasing rural grid access to reduce forest pressure and implementing multi-scale watershed management platforms.

APA

Sabogal, D., Carlos, G., del Castillo, M., Willems, B., Bleeker, S., Bellfield, H., & Meza, F. (2018). STRENGTHENING CLIMATE RESILIENCE IN URBAN AMAZONIA. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/StrengtheningClimateResilienceCumbaza.pdf

Chicago

Sabogal, David, Guillermo Carlos, Martha del Castillo, Bram Willems, Sonja Bleeker, Helen Bellfield, and Francisco Meza. STRENGTHENING CLIMATE RESILIENCE IN URBAN AMAZONIA. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2018. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/StrengtheningClimateResilienceCumbaza.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Sabogal |first1=David |last2=Carlos |first2=Guillermo |last3=del Castillo |first3=Martha |last4=Willems |first4=Bram |last5=Bleeker |first5=Sonja |last6=Bellfield |first6=Helen |last7=Meza |first7=Francisco |title=STRENGTHENING CLIMATE RESILIENCE IN URBAN AMAZONIA |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=2018 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/StrengtheningClimateResilienceCumbaza.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sabogal2018strengthening, author = {Sabogal, David and Carlos, Guillermo and del Castillo, Martha and Willems, Bram and Bleeker, Sonja and Bellfield, Helen and Meza, Francisco}, title = {{STRENGTHENING CLIMATE RESILIENCE IN URBAN AMAZONIA}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2018}, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/StrengtheningClimateResilienceCumbaza.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }