Luis Caballero, PhD

Associate Professor Watershed Sciences and Hydrology

Zamorano University, Honduras (1993-2013)

Humuya Bosque latifoliado

Río Nacaome Río CholutecaSan Lucas

Tela

La Ceiba

Hydrology of Honduras, two different scenarios

Background• Honduras and La Tigra National Park

• The importance in terms of water

• The problems

• The study – Motivations

– Objectives

– Methodology (site and instrumentation)

– Results and discussion

– Conclusions

The study motivation

• To protect NR effectively, society needs to value them

• In developing countries there is lack of data, information and basic knowledge.

• We, usually, do not protect what we don’t know.

• Bridging hydrologic science with economic analysis to foster good land and environmental policies.

• Water is a critical resource for both, drinking and food security

National parks are important areas for present and future generation

We all heard a lot a about biodiversity

scenic values, carbon sequestration, logging, etc.

But, we heart much less, in the recent pass, about the most important resource:

Water

If we protect for water, most of the other resources would be protected too.

“La Tigra National have been studied extensively, but not its water production potential” Why?

The problems within and outside the park When water production clashes with other space uses

Agriculture

Fuel wood

Urbanization

Hunting/Mining

Conflicting interests

Material and Methods

La Tigra Experimental Watershed, Honduras

Cornell/Zamorano University

Funding: CANON-NP/OAS/ Cornell/CSS

Documents and Settings\lac76\Desktop\Luis Backup\Desktop\GIS Data La Tigra\Deforested Area 2.kmz

Weir WS4

Weir WS2Weir WS1

Weir WS3Final outlet

Streamflow data and water samples collection

Simple past digital filter similar to one proposed by Lyne and

Hollick (1979) and Nathan and McMahon (1990).

where:

QT(t) = Total observed streamflow at time step t

QB(t) = filtered baseflow at time step t

QP(t-1) = calculated runoff at time step t-1

If QT(t) = QT(t-1) then runoff = 0 and total streamflow = baseflow

If QT(t) > QT(t-1) then runoff > 0 and equation 2 and 3 applies for every

time step.

Hydrograph separation:

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2.

3.

The modeling approach

Conceptual approach Parameters

Figure 4: Schematic representation for saturation excess

overland flow, infiltration, interflow and baseflow for a

characteristic hill slopes (Steenhuis et al., 2009)

Runoff Producing Areas

Modeling approach

Selecting model parameters, a view from the field

Exposed bedrock areas

Saturated areas

Results: Climate-hydrology

Precipitation: How much and how variable?

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La Tigra mean

Precipitation: How much and how variable?

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Cumulative rainfall amount influenced by

convective storms events

(June 10-August 27-2009)

1800 m.a.s.l. = 402 mm

1450 m.a.s.l. = 299 mm

1350 m.a.s.l. = 515 mm

Precipitation: How much and how variable?

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(9/10/08 through 10/16/08)

1350 m.a.s.l. = 321 mm

1450 m.a.s.l = 344 mm

1800 m.a.s.l = 343 mm

Precipitación characteristics

Figure 2.5. Rainfall-runoff relationship for 29 precipitation events

measured at WS1 during one year (October 2008 to October 2009.

Rainfall-runoff relationships

Figure 2.6. Baseflow recession during the dry season

(March-May, 2009) ). Solid line regression.

Baseflow recession

Water balance

Modeling Objective

• To test if the model is able to simulate the observed runoff hydrograph from a cloud forest and other forested areas in Honduras, and then use the model to infer differences in hydrologic behavior between cloud forests and non-cloud forest watersheds.

Figure 4.2a. Comparison between observed and modelled daily flows for WS1

For a set of parameters (Tables 4.2 and 4.3)

RESULTS

Figure 4.3a. Comparison between daily observed and modelled stremflow for WS1 with various

set of parameters (listed in table 4.2 and 4.3.

Figure 4.2d. Comparison between observed and modeled daily flow for

WS4 catchment. For various set of parameters listed in table 4.2 and 4.3.

Figura 4.3d. Comparison between daily observed and modelled stremflow

for WS4 with various set of parameters (listed in table 4.2 and 4.3)

Conclusions:

• Three times as much water was produced by the large cloud forest watershed compared to the smaller forested watersheds

• Rainfall intensity was generally low and less than the infiltration capacity of the soil.

• Surface runoff is likely produced from the saturated and rock outcrop areas(less than 10%)

• At least 90% of falling rainfall infiltrates the soil profile and/or is intercepted by the plant canopy

Conclusions:

• Cutting down more cloud forest will likely dry up springs and decline the amount of water during the dry season when it most needed for drinking water

• With our current data, it is not possible to determine how much discharge comes from saturated areas and how much from interflow. This two water sources are interconnected, highlighting the difficulty to accurately and un-ambiguously account for each separately.

Why this findings are so important?

Hydrology of cloudforest was unknown.

Cloudforest are major sources of water supply to rural communities in C.A.

Good climate, rich O.M. and humid environments good for Agriculture/pasture.

Traditionally, convincing policy and decision makers to protect NR is a not easy.

But, sound science and practical knowledge can make a difference, so does education of the public.

We hope our little contribution in knowledge can incentive future work.

It is not about the cloudforest itself, these areas, are the headwater for major rivers, thus critical for hydro-energy, food production and

water supply for densely populated urban centers

II Part:

Agricultural adaptation to

climate change

Map of target areas

Project Aproaches• Territorial approach.

– Focus en watershed processes and systems: selecting farms that could be affected or benefit by lack or excess of water in the catchment.

– Concentrate investments to establish a “farmer school for climate adaptation” or “demonstration farms”.

– Support the implementation of climate adaptation practices on neighboring farms (education and training, testing drought resistant varieties, new crops, etc.)

• Social and institutional approach

Ozatlan group: Lead farmer, Sr. Odilio Amaya

Strategy: Increase water balance in the farm.• Implement soil and water conservation practices to

increase infiltration and reduce soil erosion.• Plant different options of life barriers to reduce

sedimentation on the ditches.• Build on farm water conservation structures to capture

runoff• Harvest runoff water from a nearby dry creek, and divert

it to the demonstration plot. • Diversify crops to minimize impact of draught on farm

income.• Promote improved drought resistant varieties

a. Utilize different types life barriers, to protect water conservation ditches.

b. Divert runoff water from nearby dry creek and conserve it in a earth pond.

Harvesting runoff from microcatments and house roofs tops Transport to infiltration ditches

While conducting excess water to other

ditches downhill in a zigzag shapeTo increase on farm water balance

and soil water supply for crops

Building capacity for a more climate resilience agriculture in the dry corridor of

central America, Ozatlán, Usulután, El Salvador

ENGILITY/IRG

Allowing for more

residence time in

the farms

Farmers school methodology: Practical and conceptual approach

Increased crop resilience to

droughts and improved food

security in rural familiesLuis A. Caballero, PhD.

Associate professor Watershed Sciences and Hydrology, Zamorano University

In Ozatlan farmer´s school Ing. Albino Peñate shows soil and water practices and crop diversification, among them: Loroco flower (to make pupusas), maracuya (to make drinks), drought resistant corn, and fruit trees.

Totogalpa group: Marcial Diaz farmStrategy: Increase water access and promote more efficient use.• Collect runoff passing through his farm, to increase

residence time to recharge water table.

• Improved access water through building a hand-dug well

• Improved irrigation through a drip irrigation plot, used as demonstration plot.

• Improved soil and water management practices to conserve soil and water, leading to more resilient cropping systems.

• Training and income generation, as a group, to invest on their owns farms.

Actions to establish a farmer school

a. A cropping plot under high water efficiency (drip irrigation)

b. A hand dug well to increase water supply during dry period (cost sharing).

c. A water detention pond to increase water table recharge above the hand-dug well

d. A water harvesting pond to increase water supply during short term droughts

Actions to establish a farmer school

Water harvesting pond

Drip irrigation training plot

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Capiro-Zapotillo paired experimental watersheds, Zamorano Honduras

(early steps in watershed hydrology research)

Acknowledgments:1. Zamorano University watershed team 1996-2012

2. Cornell University, Ithaca New York, USA.

3. American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS-US National Park

Service/The Canon Company

4. The Organization of American Sates (OAS)

3. Field research support from CATIE, AMITIGRA and the Municipality of Valle de Angeles

5. USAID for its continued support over the last 25 years of profesional development

Luis A. Caballero Bonilla, PhD

Soil and Water Enginiering

Independent consultant water resources/watersheds and climate adaptation

2025 Overlook Drive, Fort Collins Co. 80526

E-mail: lac76@cornell.edu

Phone: (970) 631-8187

http://soilandwater.bee.cornell.edu/publications/caballero-thesis2012.pdf

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1752-1688.2012.00668.x/abstract

http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/johh.2013.61.issue-1/jhh-2013-0003/jhh-2013-0003.xml

Thanks

Gracias