The canclón and other species inhabit this area of Palenque. The mayor of the canton says that he will not allow actions that cause an environmental impact
At Las Garzas wetland, from Palenque, province of Los Ríos, inhabits the canclón, a bird with a kind of spurs on its wings and a horn on its forehead. Its scientific name is Anhima cornuta and although few recognize it as such in the sector, they do vehemently defend their habitat against what they call a threat from a foreign banana company.
Residents of the area say that a transnational company bought 170 hectares and intervened in the natural dam to make a drainage network, which affects the wetland. To prove it they show videos and photographs.
“It is estimated that the level of the wetland has dropped between 1 and 1.5 meters”, after the work to prevent the area where bananas are being planted from being flooded. This is how Germán Jácome, president of the Cantonal Agricultural Center of Quevedo, Los Ríos, explains it.
He warns that by draining this natural system there would be a shortage of water in Palenque, which would encourage the migration of peasants.
On January 8, the Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition (Maate) reported that work was suspended “pre-cultural activities of agricultural activities that were going to be carried out in the area of influence of the lagoon system of the Las Garzas wetland”.
The decision, however, does not leave the inhabitants of the area calm, who organize themselves to follow up on the situation and express their fear that in the future the work will be resumed to the detriment of the area and the environment.
World Wetlands Day was celebrated with various activities
Jácome even points out that Maate gave the company a manual on how to install banana plantations near lagoons. “What is being done is delaying the time for this company to adapt its project to the implementation manual for agribusinesses near wetlands or lagoons”.
El Maate, for its part, in the newsletter reaffirms its commitment to the conservation of ecosystems and sustainable development, in order to protect wild fauna and flora and guarantee the proper use of natural resources.
For the suspension of the work denounced by the inhabitants of the Maate area, article 406 of the Constitution refers: The State will regulate the conservation, management and sustainable use, recovery and limitations of domain of the fragile and threatened ecosystems, among others, the paramos, wetlands, cloud forests, dry and humid tropical forests and mangroves, marine and coastal ecosystems.
The Las Garzas wetland not only inhabits the canclón, there are turtles, deer, parrots, pacharacos, coots and other species, say the inhabitants who claim that no owner had dared to intervene in the wetland, considered by them as a hydric sanctuary.
The mayor of Palenque, Alfred Chang, acknowledges that he learned of the issue through complaints on social networks and confirmed with the Property Registry that the sale of several privately owned lots has been made. He says that they are not inside the wetland, but they are close.
Leandro Ullón is one of the inhabitants of the area who complains about the damage that he says affects some 2,000 families. He alleges that they run out of water and this does not allow them to work in the height of summer, which is why he demands a repair.
Despite a protection agreement, the state of wetlands continues to worsen due to human activity
Ullón, like Jácome, believes that the suspension of work ordered by Maate and the Municipality of Palenque is a way to give the banana company time to comply with environmental permits and reactivate them, but he warns that the community members will not allow it. .
“What we demand is that the wetland be defended as a heritage of life, that it be respected as our ancestors respected it”, adds Jácome, who reminds the mayor of his commitment to declare the wetland a protected area, while Chang maintains that the ordinances to do so are being defined.
The residents of the wetland and the farmers in the area are not willing to wait patiently, they go ahead and send communications to the Presidency of the Republic, the Maate and the National Assembly warning about the risk to the wetland.
‘It is a lie that the mayor’s office sells wetlands’
Alfred Chang, mayor of Palenque, canton of Los Ríos, in whose jurisdiction the Las Garzas wetland is located, affirms that he will not allow work to be carried out that damages the environment. This after complaints from the community against a banana company that was carrying out works that would cause the loss of water on the site. He says that like the Ministry of the Environment, he ordered the suspension of said works.
What is the current condition of the Las Garzas wetland?
In February 2020 we made a commitment to declare the area a protected area, in addition to mapping the flora and fauna of all species, including those that are in extinction such as the canclón that we normally have in that part of the wetland, because my intention is to make a biological corridor of the Pedro Franco Dávila station, which is a protective forest, the Jauneche reserve, with the Peñafiel river where the wetland is born…
My position has always been to defend the wetland, but now they are misrepresenting the conditions, saying that the mayor’s office sells wetlands; that is a lie, this negotiation takes place between a private company, directly, with seven owners of plots of land that are close to the wetland, there is a small part that intervenes in that wetland. I did not know anything about the work until, due to citizen complaints on social networks, I turned on the warning lights and sent a team to inspect. I quoted a person in charge of the hacienda from whom I requested all the permits.
And what happened?
The permits were never brought to me, and with the inspection on January 3 and with a statement from the Ministry of the Environment, I also decided to suspend the activities of this company until all the permits were brought to me.
Then work could be resumed. What are the conditions?
We require all the permits and environmental studies that guarantee that the wetlands do not dry out, and in the event that the wetlands do not dry out, the impact of the banana plantations with the fumigations will also affect it because it is close to the wetland. If it does not affect, I am not against allowing a transnational company to come to our canton.
Has it been proven that there is already an effect? The community members speak of a drop of 1 to 1.5 meters of water in the wetland.
I have not verified it yet (…) They are working on their land where it is seen that they have built some walls, the impact it may have is due to a flood, that is what the retaining walls are for, if the river overflows the walls are going to protect the banana plantation, but the important thing is that it was paralyzed because if there are no permits, there is nothing, what we want to see is the impact under the corresponding study and the authorization of the Ministry of the Environment and the Provincial Government. (I)
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