Mayors, environmental and water authorities, civil defense managers, technicians, and civil society representatives from Bolivia, Brazil, and Peru gathered in Rio Branco, Brazil, on October 29 and 30 to draft the Participatory Implementation Plan for the Trinational Early Warning System (EWS). This system aims to enhance the adaptation of municipalities in the Amazonian tri-border area to climate change through an advanced drought and flood forecasting service. The Trinational EWS will be based on regional cooperation, improved integration of hydrometeorological data, and the participation of communities in vulnerable regions.
“We understand that structuring an Early Warning System will only be effective through cooperation among the countries, states, and municipalities in the cross-border region. Only with the generation of shared information, joint protocols, and the involvement of local communities will we be able to reduce the risks associated with droughts and floods,” emphasized Henrique Pinheiro Veiga, Deputy Superintendent of Plans, Programs, and Projects at Brazil’s National Water and Basic Sanitation Agency (ANA).
The development of the Trinational EWS Implementation Plan was the main outcome of the Trinational Workshop Integrating Borders: Early Warning System in the Madeira, Upper Purus, and Upper Juruá River Basins, which marked the beginning of the cross-border EWS establishment process. Held in the city of Rio Branco, in the Brazilian Amazon, with more than 50 participants, the event was promoted by the Amazon Basin Project. Through this project, the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) is implementing the Strategic Action Program (SAP) for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in the Amazon Basin across the region’s eight countries.

Mayors, environmental and water authorities, civil defense managers, technicians and civil society representatives from Bolivia, Brazil and Peru gathered in Rio Branco for the Trinational SAT Initial Workshop.
The implementation of Forecast and Warning Systems for Extreme Hydroclimatic Events is one of the 19 strategic actions of the SAP, deemed essential for IWRM in the Amazon Basin. In this context, the Trinational EWS is an advanced tool for mitigating the impacts of extreme weather events. It aims to cover an area of 54 million hectares, directly benefiting 16 million people in municipalities within the departments of Madre de Dios in Peru, Pando and Beni in Bolivia, and the states of Acre, Amazonas, and Rondônia in Brazil. The cross-border region is highly vulnerable to extreme cycles of floods and droughts that threaten community safety, disrupt economic activities, and impact biodiversity.
“The creation of an integrated early warning system is crucial for protecting our communities and strengthening the region’s resilience to climate change, ensuring joint and urgent solutions,” stated Leonardo Carvalho, Secretary of Environment of the State of Acre, in his welcome speech to the workshop participants.
Currently, national warning services predict threats with a lead time of three to five days. With the Trinational EWS, the goal is to extend this timeframe and improve coordinated response capacity among the three countries, providing more effective tools to prevent damage and save lives.
Guidelines for Implementing the Trinational EWS
Based on a recent field study conducted by the Amazon Basin Project (ACTO/UNEP/GEF) in 15 municipalities in the region, representatives from the three countries established guidelines for creating the Trinational EWS. The information gathered through approximately 100 interviews with representatives from municipal governments, state and departmental environmental agencies, civil defense, firefighters, and universities provided a comprehensive overview of the current state of local warning systems. It highlighted the need to strengthen state and municipal response capacities and to equip and train priority communities in environmental management.
To meet these demands and address the gaps identified in the field study, representatives of the three countries, working collaboratively during the trinational workshop, included the following guidelines in the Trinational EWS Implementation Plan:
- Enhancing interoperability of hydrometeorological monitoring systems among the countries.
- Establishing joint protocols for emergency responses.
- Developing easy-to-apply and cost-effective hydrological models.
- Implementing a plan to integrate the civil defenses of Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru.
- Conducting vulnerability and risk mapping for each locality and promoting community training to strengthen local response capacity.
“To make the Trinational EWS viable, it is crucial to combine real-time monitoring technology with mathematical models for forecasting water flows and levels, while also strengthening collaboration among civil defense agencies, situation rooms, and water resource management authorities in cities and states across the three countries,” emphasized Alan Vaz Lopes, Deputy Superintendent of Operations and Critical Events at Brazil’s National Water and Basic Sanitation Agency (ANA).
With the Participatory Implementation Plan for the Trinational EWS in place, the countries will immediately begin working on establishing the integrated monitoring network and formalizing emergency protocols.
- Working groups discuss guidelines for the implementation of the Trinational EWS
- Debate between mayors and councilors
Cooperation and participation
The Trinational Workshop Integrating Borders: Early Warning System in the Madeira, Upper Purus, and Upper Juruá River Basins marked the start of the collaborative and participatory process for establishing the Trinational EWS. It also symbolized a milestone in the cooperation between Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru, reinforcing their commitment to Integrated Water Resources Management in the Amazon Basin and to effective responses to climate challenges.
The mayors of the Peruvian provinces of Tambopata, Inambari, and Las Piedras, present at the workshop, agreed on the need to join forces to address climate challenges, emphasizing regional cooperation’s importance to deal with the increasing frequency of extreme events.
Sergio Humaday, President of the Council of Puerto Rico (Bolivia), who also attended the event, stressed the urgency of implementing preventive solutions to protect regional populations. “Our communities face significant vulnerabilities, and collaboration among countries is vital for developing strategies to enhance the region’s resilience to climate change.”
Vera Reis, coordinator of the MAP Initiative, a civil society movement created to address recurring natural challenges in the tri-border region, highlighted the workshop’s efforts to involve and engage municipal managers, councilors, and civil defense representatives. “The time will come to also involve civil society representatives, including riverine, Indigenous, extractivist, and other communities, to ensure the EWS benefits from their communication and participation,” she emphasized.
- Technicians and civil society representatives discuss guidelines for the implementation of the Trinational EWS
- Working Group discusses the Trinational EWS
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