Background
Climate change is making itself felt in Bolivia; it’s been possible to watch Lake Titicaca’s water level recede for years. Water is a naturally scarce resource in the (semi)-arid heights of the Altiplano, where the lake is found. Water supplied from the lake is a requirement for survival for the continually growing population. Around 2 million people live around Lake Titicaca’s catchment area. Increasingly devastating consequences for not just the lakes and its resources such as water and fish stocks, but also for the shore and adjoining land are the result of growing population pressure. The continually decreasing availability of water is already making it far more difficult to procure the water needed for consumption, irrigation, industry and electricity production.
Species diversity in and around the lake is threatened not only by retreating water levels and climate change, but also by increasing water pollution due to untreated household and industrial sewage. The Andes Carp (Orestias) and the endemic Titicaca Water Frog (Telmatobius coleus) populations are declining sharply. The flightless Titicaca Grebe (Rollandia microptera) is hardly able to find nesting spots because the shore has been so altered and overused by humans.
The decline of once abundant fish stocks has driven many traditional fishermen to farming and ranching. Today over 50 types of potatoes are grown in the area of origin of potato farming around Lake Titicaca, along with original grains such as quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) and Andean Lupin (Lupinus mutabilis). These grains are of great importance for food security.
La Paz, with its 895,000 inhabitants, is Bolivia’s seat of government. The city lies at an elevation of 3,600 meters and is only about 150 km from Lake Titicaca. The indigenous peoples have a deep cultural and traditional relationship with Lake Titicaca but only a very small portion of the population in La Paz or at Lake Titicaca is knowledgeable about climate change. So far the municipalities directly at Lake Titicaca have had very limited financial and human resources with which to carry out environmental education measures. Only a small team from the municipal administration has started carrying out environmental education programs at the lake.