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category Biodiversity preservation Climate change adaptation Governance News Transboundary cooperation
On the occasion of INBO’s World General Assembly in October 2024, we interviewed Juan José OCOLA SALAZAR, Executive President of the Binational Autonomous Authority of Lake Titicaca (ALT) and Xavier LAZZARO, Coordinator of the Binational Observatory of Lake Titicaca. Together, they discussed the impact of climate change on the basin, the need to raise public awareness of water issues, and the importance of water quality.
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What is the Binational Autonomous Authority of Lake Titicaca (ALT)?
A transboundary lake shared by Peru and Bolivia, Titicaca is not only the largest freshwater lake in South America, but also the highest of the world’s great lakes. To manage and protect its resources, the Binational Autonomous Authority of the Water System of Lake Titicaca, the Desaguadero River, Lake Poopó and the Coipasa Saltworks was created in 1992.
What is the Binational Observatory of Lake Titicaca (OBLT)?
Initiated by Xavier Lazzaro and gradually implemented since 2015, the Observatory brings together Bolivian and Peruvian scientific and technical institutions, with French cooperation (IRD Representation in Bolivia). The OBLT enables the lake’s evolution to be monitored quantitatively and qualitatively in order, in particular, to prevent and anticipate extreme phenomena, but also to protect biodiversity. This up-to-date knowledge provides a better understanding of how the lake functions and its vulnerability to the effects of climate change and entropic activities.
Key figures
of the Titicaca lake:
Who is Juan José OCOLA SALAZAR?
With a degree in biological sciences and over 30 years’ professional experience in water quality, risk management and limnology, Juan José Ocola Salazar is dedicated to protecting and monitoring the water resources of Lake Titicaca and improving cross-border cooperation between Peru and Bolivia.
Who is Xavier LAZZARO?
A researcher in aquatic ecology, Xavier Lazzaro works at the Institute for Research and Development in Bolivia, and more specifically in the Biology of Aquatic Organisms and Ecosystems laboratory – BOREA. Xavier Lazzaro was behind the creation of the Binational Observatory for Lake Titicaca, and was in charge of deploying a hydrometeorological buoy to detect behaviour and anticipate extreme events (Bloom).