Wicked Environmental Problems in Bañado La Estrella: Floods and Water Pollution of the Pilcomayo Basin and their Impact on Indigenous and Rural Communities

Abstract

The Pilcomayo River is unique in several ways, including its massive sediment load, one of the world’s largest alluvial fans, and a constantly changing channel that occasionally blocks and overflows over vast areas. Most of the northern half of the Province of Formosa (Argentina) is covered by the vast wetland system known as the Bañado La Estrella, in the middle Pilcomayo basin. Due to repeated obstructions of the channel that functioned as the border between Argentina and Paraguay, the Bañado La Estrella expanded from the 1920s until the 1990s, when both nations agreed to the Pantalón project: They divided the river in two out of concern over losing complete access to resources like water and fish. Since then, the middle Pilcomayo basin has been subject to constant engineering works to prevent further changes (dams, channel construction, and dredging), and efforts to promote conservation and ecotourism such as its declaration as one of the 7 New Natural Wonders of Argentina. This article analyzes three environmental problems of the middle Pilcomayo basin and Bañado La Estrella that mainly affect rural and indigenous communities. Using the conceptual framework of wicked problems, we state that these issues are often conceptualized or explained in contradictory ways, both within and between different social groups. Also, they do not present straightforward solutions, but are best addressed with more democratic and bottom-up approaches. Finally, we suggest that science’s function should be to contribute to basin resilience by enhancing these approaches and informing decisions while preserving complexity in the discussion.