Seasonal fluctuation of riverine navigation and accessibility in Western Amazonia: An analysis combining a cost-efficient GPS-based observation system and interviews

Abstract

a b s t r a c tAccessibility and transportation possibilities are key factors influencing societal conditions and land use patterns in rural areas. Thus, information on the spatial patterns of accessibility and transportation can be of paramount importance in understanding regional differences in development, human livelihood and land use patterns. Analysing spatio-temporal transportation patterns is particularly challenging in areas where everyday transportation is based on unscheduled public transportation and a naturally controlled seasonal transportation network, such as rivers. Here, our aim is to provide information on the seasonal dynamics of riverine transportation and its effects on accessibility patterns in Peruvian Amazonia. We analysed riverine transportation speeds using a low-cost GPS-based riverboat observation system. Spatio-temporal accessibility patterns were generalised from the GPS-observations that were classified according to seasons into the high water season, intermediate season and low water season. We show that navigation along the rivers has a clear seasonal and directional (upstream/downstream) variation, which varies with different types of rivers based on channel morphology. In addition, we conducted interviews with local people to study their perceptions of the seasonal changes in navigation and the accuracy of transportation schedules. As the travel distances in Peruvian Amazonia are generally long, seasonal and directional differences have clear impacts on the overall accessibility patterns in the area and on the livelihoods of riverine inhabitants. Furthermore, the lack of clearly scheduled transportation causes considerable uncertainty about transportation options for local communities. The baseline information of the seasonal and directional variation of riverine transportation and travel speeds provided by our work is usable in further accessibility and livelihood analyses for Peruvian Amazonia, but it may also be useful in other areas relying on riverine transportation.

Health research needs more comprehensive accessibility measures: integrating time and transport modes from open data

“…From the demand side, time to access and buy healthy food depends on the persons’ complex spatial activity-travel behavior that varies on an hourly, daily, and weekly basis [ 41 ], and is influenced by seasonality [ 42 , 43 ]. In our contemporary 24/7 society, activity-travel behavior of people is becoming more flexible and fragmented in space and time [ 44 ], particularly due to the flexibility in working schedules and night-shift working [ 45 ].…”

A cost path and network analysis methodology to calculate distances along a complex river network in the Peruvian Amazon

“…Our measures of market accessibility open up new avenues for research and policy intervention in the region. Further research is needed to assess how distance to market is correlated with travel time and travel costs of different modes of transport along varying channel types and flow regimes (see Tenkanen et al 2015). Urban market access is a key determinant of other economic features that remain poorly explicated in the Peruvian Amazon, including the formation of rural markets and the terms of trade and commerce as well as labor and credit-contracting relations.…”

“…However, it should be noted that accessibility depends on factors such as the type of boat and seasonality (i.e. flood or low water season) as fluctuations in the water levels (De Jesús & Kohler, 2004;Tenkanen et al, 2015) can limit access. This methodology calculates the lower bound of distance values thus those that are not affected by additional limitations of seasonality and equipment.…”

“…The complex river network of the region is greatly influenced by seasonal changes which in turn directly impact transportation dynamics (Tenkanen, Salonen, Lattu, & Toivonen, 2015). Rural peoples in the Peruvian Amazon depend heavily on the river network for commerce, social communication and sustenance (Hiraoka, 1989;Lathrap, 1973) and typically describe distances along the river network by the number of meanders to assess travel time (Abizaid, 2005).…”

A Python Algorithm for Shortest-Path River Network Distance Calculations Considering River Flow Direction

“…River networks around the world are vital for the transportation of goods and people, and spatial accessibility via rivers is an important driver of human settlement, market formation, land use patterns, and resource exploitation. In remote regions where roads are few, such as Amazonia, river transport might be the only viable means for communication and transportation, linking rural producers with distant urban markets and government services [1][2][3]. Here, river network access shapes economic livelihoods, human health, forest use, and conservation outcomes [4][5][6][7].…”