The Magdalena watershed is extremely important for many reasons. It provides a wide range of benefits to Colombia, including water supply for domestic, industrial, and agricultural use, as well as for riparian ecosystems, biodiversity habitat, water regulation and storage, and sediment, nutrient, chemical and organic waste transport. It is also an important source of hydroelectric power for the country. In addition, the watershed has provided vital resources for the area’s inhabitants for centuries. Finally, due to its strategic location and the diversity of its habitats, the area is of special interest for conservation purposes.

Source: OpenAI

Source: Global Watersheds Tool

1. The Magdalena Basin is located in the western part of Colombia and is home to numerous oil and gas fields as well as several thousand species of plants and wildlife, including several vulnerable or endangered species.

2. The Magdalena Basin was the epicenter of Colombia's oil and gas boom of the 20th century, responsible for a large portion of Colombia's economy and accounting for a significant portion of its GDP.

3. The Magdalena Basin contains some of the most biodiverse and habitats in the world, boasting 113 endemic bird species and several unique mammals, insects, and reptiles.

4. The Magdalena Basin is home to an estimated 2,000 different species of plant life, including over 1,500 species of flowering plants and over 300 species of trees.

5. The Magdalena Basin’s alluvial soils made it the heart of Colombia’s agricultural production in the 20th century, and it continues to be an important source of food for the country today.

6. The Magdalena Basin has two distinct seasons: the wet season and the dry season. During the wet season, most of the rainfall occurs, while during the dry season, temperatures spike and the land begins to dry out.

7. The Magdalena Basin is home to several large lake systems, including Lake Tota, Lake Guatavita, and Lake Maracaibo.

8. The Magdalena River is the largest river in Colombia, stretching 1,575 kilometers from its source on the slopes of the Andes all the way to the Caribbean Sea, where it empties into the Magdalena Bay.

1. Over-Extraction of Groundwater: Due to the high water demand for agriculture and other uses, over-extraction of groundwater has become a major problem within the Magdalena River basin watershed. This over-extraction has led to ground and surface water depletion, soil subsidence, and land degradation in some areas.

2. Deforestation: Large-scale deforestation of both primary and secondary forests has taken place in the Magdalena river basin watershed over the past decades. This deforestation is a major concern due to its potential impacts on water quality, biodiversity, habitat loss, sedimentation and landslides among other issues.

3. Increased Pollution & Poor Water Quality: Industrial activities within the Magdalena River Basin watershed have caused an increase in pollution throughout the region which is contributing to poor overall water quality. Additionally, untreated wastewater discharge from large urban population centers is also polluting the river and its tributaries with pollutants such as sulfur, phosphorous, ammonia nitrates and heavy metals.

4. Erosion & Sedimentation Levels: Due to excessive deforestation and land use practices in catchment areas of rivers and streams throughout the Magdalena River Basin watershed have resulted in increased erosion levels leading to increased sedimentation levels within rivers causing numerous problems such as reduced storage capacity in reservoirs.

5. Invasive Species: Invasive aquatic species including tilapia are present throughout waters of the Magdalena River basin watershed undermining native species by reducing nutrient availability through predation on native atherinid fish or altering ecosystem processes or directly competing with native species for resources or food sources much better than any native fish thought of before their arrival.