- Illegal settlements and agriculture have pushed into Yacambú National Park in the state of Lara, degrading forests that serve as natural aquifers for multiple cities and towns.
- There are approximately 200 families in the park, many of them made up of nearly twenty members, each claiming several hectares for themselves.
- The park is understaffed and lacks resources like vehicles and gasoline for carrying out patrols. Poor application of environmental laws also makes it difficult to evict squatters from the park.
Millions of people in northwestern Venezuela could be at risk of losing access to clean drinking water if more effort isn’t given to conserving natural watersheds and protected forests, environmentalists say.
Illegal settlements have pushed into important protected areas like Yacambú National Park in the state of Lara, degrading forests that serve as natural aquifers for multiple cities and towns. If those aquifers disappear, millions could face water scarcity in the years to come, experts believe.
“This is a situation that has happened before, but it wasn’t that pronounced and it wasn’t really a threat,” said Alzehy Colmenárez, a member of the Forest Guardians movement in Lara, an informal environmental activist group. He added, “It’s really urgent that we attack this situation because if this continues for another five years, we won’t have any water.”
The 270-square-kilometer (103-square-mile) Yacambú National Park sits near the Venezuelan Andes, giving it a mix of tropical moist forest and savanna. It also happens to sit just south of Barquisimeto, one of the largest cities in the country, with a population of around a million people. The Yacambú River connects to 25 smaller watersheds and tributaries that serve eight municipalities in and around the city, as well as jurisdictions in the neighboring state of Portuguesa.
Like most protected areas in Venezuela, Yacambú National Park has a written protection plan with conservation objectives designed to the specific needs of its flora and fauna. It was even expanded in 1999 to better protect the watershed. But today, park officials say they don’t have enough vehicles or gasoline to carry out routine patrols, forcing them to go by motorcycle when possible.
But trucks and fuel aren’t the only resources running low in Yacambú, according to Alvaro Zambrano, a hydrology expert doing research in the park.
“The facilities have been deteriorating and they need more park rangers,” Zambrano said. “They need signs and an information campaign to promote taking care of the environment.”
Venezuela’s economy has been one of the worst in the world over the last decade, with record high inflation and GDP decline forcing millions out of the country. Another option for families in Lara is to move into the park and clear the forest for timber.
There are approximately 200 families in the park now, many of them made up of nearly twenty members, each person claiming several hectares for themselves, according to Zambrano. Many have turned to the cultivation of robusta coffee (Coffea canephora), which is easier to grow than other types of coffee plants and can survive in direct sunlight. Not only does that require cutting down the forest, but it erodes the soil and puts agrochemicals into the water.
Satellite data from monitoring platform Global Forest Watch shows most deforestation in Yacambú is concentrated in the park’s southern portion, and has spread northward into its remaining primary forest. The data also shows clearing activity has slowed since April; Venezuela’s rainy season typically begins in April or May.
Even when park guards can apprehend squatters, the weak application of environmental laws makes it hard to stop them from returning to the park, Colmenárez said. In theory, squatters could face up to two years of prison — but the court never orders those measures.
Some have caught onto the lack of political will and started taking advantage, according to Colmenárez, who said groups settle in the park, clear the land then sell it informally to other groups, knowing there won’t be any legal repercussions. Or, he said, they clear the land for its natural resources and move onto a different part of the forest.
“There are people dedicated to invading,” Colmenárez said. “They occupy an area, deforest it and sell it and then exchange it for something else — a car, a motorcycle, even another plot somewhere else, another farm.”
The National Parks Institute (InParques), which oversees the country’s protected areas, didn’t respond to a request for comment for this article.
In addition to losing clean water for millions of people, the destruction of the park threatens the habitat for thousands of species of flora and fauna. Hundreds of species of birds pass through the park during their migrations each season. It’s also home to the spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus), the only species of bear native to South America.
Some local officials are working on finding ways to hold squatters accountable, but it’s a slow process, Zambrano said. Conservation groups continue to lobby InParques for more funding. If changes aren’t made soon, it could impact the region for years to come.
“Water is going to be of a quality that can’t be consumed by the population,” he said. “…We run the risk of losing the national park and losing the waters and biodiversity present there.”
Banner image: Forests on fire in Yacambú National Park. Photo courtesy of Forest Guardians.
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