Hydro-ecological monitoring and modelling of high-altitude wetlands in the Katari watershed, Bolivia

This fact sheet describes a Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) project to monitor and model high-altitude wetlands, known as "bofedales," in the Katari watershed of Bolivia to assess the impacts of climate change and urban water demand.

• The Katari watershed, covering approximately 700km2 in Bolivia's La Paz Department, is a primary water source for the cities of La Paz and El Alto, but it is experiencing severe water quality degradation due to rapid urbanization and a lack of territorial planning.
• High-altitude wetlands called "bofedales," located above 3,800 meters, are critical for regulating water balance and nutrient cycles, but their health is declining due to climate change, glacier retreat, urban water demand, dam construction, overgrazing, and mining-related groundwater extraction.
• SEI, supported by the IDB and local authorities (UGCK, MMAYA, and GPM), is implementing a project to develop remote-sensing-based indicators of eco-hydrological changes from 1984 to 2020 and create a WEAP conceptual model to evaluate climate change impacts and conflicts between urban and ecohydrological water needs.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2021). Hydro-ecological monitoring and modelling of high-altitude wetlands in the Katari watershed, Bolivia. https://www.sei.org/projects/hydro-ecological-monitoring-and-modelling-of-high-altitude-wetlands-in-the-katari-watershed-bolivia/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Hydro-ecological monitoring and modelling of high-altitude wetlands in the Katari watershed, Bolivia. 2021. https://www.sei.org/projects/hydro-ecological-monitoring-and-modelling-of-high-altitude-wetlands-in-the-katari-watershed-bolivia/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Hydro-ecological monitoring and modelling of high-altitude wetlands in the Katari watershed, Bolivia |date=26 January 2021 |url=https://www.sei.org/projects/hydro-ecological-monitoring-and-modelling-of-high-altitude-wetlands-in-the-katari-watershed-bolivia/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2021hydroecological, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Hydro-ecological monitoring and modelling of high-altitude wetlands in the Katari watershed, Bolivia}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2021}, month = jan, url = {https://www.sei.org/projects/hydro-ecological-monitoring-and-modelling-of-high-altitude-wetlands-in-the-katari-watershed-bolivia/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }