Yapacaní River

Amazon Basin, the Yapacaní violet

The Río Yapacaní is a river in Bolivia, left tributary of the Bolivian Río Grande, and is part of the river system of the Amazon.

Course

The Río Yapacaní has its origins in the National Park Amboró and bears his name from the mouth of the Río Surutú in the Río Alturas del Yapacaní ( Upper Yapacaní ). From this point, the river flows in a northerly direction and empties after 335 kilometers in the lower reaches of the Rio Grande before this 110 km to the northwest joins the Río Ichilo the Río Mamoré.

The river forms the border between the districts of the municipality of San Carlos and municipality in the province of Yapacaní Ichilo in the department of Santa Cruz. Lie at the mouth of Surutú the two cities Yapacaní and Santa Fe de Yapacaní, on the one hand benefit from the abundance of fish of the river, on the other hand, at high water by the uncontrolled flooding of the tributaries of the Río Yapacaní are threatened. Since 2005, it has therefore begun with the embankment of the river system of Surutú and Yapacaní.

The stock of tropical rainforest along the river, especially in its lower reaches, is increasingly threatened by progressive smallholder agricultural colonization, particularly in the San Carlos region on the eastern side of the river.

Inflows

• Río Palacios (right)
• Rio Pirai (right)