Teleconnections in coffee and hydropower production in Colombia: An approach for expanding water management beyond watershed boundaries

Watersheds are commonly adopted as the primary unit for water management, yet this approach often fails to capture long-distance interactions—known as teleconnections—between coupled natural and human systems that extend beyond watershed boundaries. This study explores the cumulative impacts of water-dependent activities, such as coffee production and hydropower generation, in Colombia’s Magdalena-Cauca macro-basin, using the Watershed Topology Tool (WaTT), a newly developed topological tool based on the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) program. WaTT visualizes and quantifies hydrological processes, revealing water-related teleconnections across spatial and administrative boundaries. Our findings show that coffee production exerts impacts beyond direct production areas, as indicated by yield and Harvested Area Index analysis. For hydropower, energy consumption patterns mapped with cumulative data from Colombia’s Single Information System for Public Services (SUI) reveal intensified demand as the river passes urban centers, far from generation sites. These examples highlight the challenge of considering sector impacts that transcend typical water management units and the complex interplays between production zones, consumer regions, and their cumulative effects. Integrating teleconnections into water governance is crucial for recognizing distant interdependencies and incorporating them into planning. This multi-scale approach is essential for sustainable water management, particularly in regions facing complex socio-environmental challenges.