Characteristics of the Bita River Basin
The Bita River Basin is one of the smallest tributaries to the Orinoco, rich in biodiversity and mostly undeveloped. The river originates in the Altillanura and stretches 623 km in length before flowing into the Orinoco. The basin includes many ecosystem types, with seasonal savannas as the main type, followed by flooded savannas and flooded gallery forests. The Bita River is a place of great natural beauty, but growing threats from agro-industrial activities and resource exploitation are changing the landscape.
The wonders of the Bita River are preserved
The Bita River Basin received an overall B grade (71%). Of the ten indicators assessed, most scored in the good-excellent range, except for a moderate score for the human nutrition indicator. Overall basin scores ranged from as low as 53% for human nutrition, to as high as 100% for risk to water quality, with water supply and demand, natural land cover, and terrestrial connectivity all excellent. The water quality score (64%) wasn’t as high as expected considering the intact nature of the basin. This suggests that the expansion of industrialized agricultural and livestock projects are degrading water quality within the river basin.
