Environmental threats to the National Reserve of Paracas

The national reserve undergoes a situation of strong human impact caused by a general disorder, the lacking respect for the conservation of nature and overuse of natural resources as well as by the incapacity of governmental and local institutions to control the violations of the rules of the reserve by the different users.

Marine contamination

There are seven industrial plants located in the north of the reserve, which together convert annually around 1 million tons of fish into fishmeal and fish oil. During this process about 30 000 tons of protein and 8 000 tons of fish oil are purred into the sea as sewage. A big part of the chemicals used to clean the plants machinery is not neutralized before dumped into the sea. The high temperatures of the evaporators are causing thermal pollution of the bay. Additionally there is contamination through fishmeal particles emitted during the processes of drying and packing the fishmeal.

Nearly the whole wastewater system of the area Pisco - Paracas works without any purification or wastewater treatment and the sewage is discharged directly into the sea. This includes the domestic sewage from Pisco, San Andres and the beach resort of Paracas as well as the wastewater of the local industries.

There are also indications of marine pollution caused by the mines, industries and agriculture located in the valley of the river Pisco as well as the population along the river.

Because the main marine current in the area moves southwards the contaminants of the above-mentioned sources are accumulated in the bay of Paracas causing a heavy pollution of the marine sediment.

The harbor San Martín: Even if the harbor itself is situated outside of the reserve it's existence and the impact of the harbor activities mean a permanent threat for the physical and ecological integrity of the reserve. The daily discharge of sulfuric acids into the sea means a permanent danger to the marine environment.

The local and industrial fisheries activity is one of the main sources of direct contamination of the sea, due to the dumping of waste and wastewater during the process of cleaning. This procedure takes place directly on the beach or in the boats in case of the local fishermen and in case of the industrial fisheries during the discharging process of the ships. Both, local and industrial fisheries pollute the environment by dumping fuel and oil into the sea, mainly while cleaning the boats.

Informal urbanization

In many parts of the reserve exists the problem of informal urbanization, sometimes even with support from local authorities. So for example the private houses in the south of the resort of Paracas constructed within the borders of the reserve; the houses of fishermen constructed within the reserve near the northern border of the protected area on the peninsula or the fishermen's settlements Lagunillas and Laguna Grande.

Borderstone at the limit of the National Reserve of Paracas and informal constructions in the background

Especially the case of the Laguna Grande is e very good example of this problem. The so called "Sector Muelle" is an informal settlement which was not created by traditional local fishermen but by the ones invading the area during the "scallop-boom" and since than stayed in the lagoon as well as the ones that arrived to constructed the small pier and to provide other services in the settlement.

Informal constructions in the Laguna Grande

Especially in the Laguna Grande one can observe the impact of informal human settlements on the surrounding environment. On the beaches near the populated area one can find huge amounts of solid waste like plastic bottles, plastic bags and other materials thrown into the water of the lagoon by their inhabitants.

The urbanization of the reserve, motivated by the local authorities as an answer to the fishermen's demands is a heavy threat and shows a lack of authority of the local governments as well a grave lack of respect for the values and the potential of a sustainable management and development by de municipalities.

Fishery

In Paracas illegal fishing with dynamite is still common. Fishermen are fishing undersized mollusks and overexploit the banks of shells. There are also regularly cases of industrial fishing boats entering the protected near shore zone for illegal industrial fishing. While violations of the fishing rules in the area of the reserve is frequent the enforcement of rules and the control of the fishing activities stays weak.

The scallop-farmers meanwhile have invaded a huge part of the sub littoral of the reserve. They are causing the complete change of sediment communities and destruction of the natural sediments as well as the destruction of the beaches used as landing places. Their permanent presence and the transportation traffic as well as the informal roads are causing permanent disturbance stress to marine birds.

Tourism

The recreational activities - mostly located in the northern part of the reserve in the bay of Paracas and the peninsula are not always compatible with the goals and the rules of the reserve. The motorized activities of land and water are causing negative impact on environment and wildlife.

The tourism in boats to visit the bird and seal colonies on the Guano islands causes permanent disturbance and stress to the animals because the boats are not keeping even minimum distances and are advancing up to a few meters to seals and birds resting on the rocky islands.

Important islands for this kind of tourism are the Islas Ballestas. These islands as well as the Chincha islands are not situated in the reserve, but should be included in order to set up a management system for the local tourism as well as to give a better protection to the wildlife inhabiting the islands.

The beaches of San Andrés, neighboring to the reserve, have lost their attractivity mainly due to the pollution caused by domestic and industrial waste and sewage, which leads to more pressure on the beaches of the reserve.

The above-mentioned examples clearly show that the unmanaged recreational use of the reserve without effective controls means a threat to the environment.

Summary

Confronted with the actual situation in the National Reserve of Paracas one has to come to the conclusion that the majority of the direct users of the reserve - from the occasional visitor and tourist to the permanently working fishermen - are not recognizing the reserve as being a special place. National tourists often reject even the simple payment of entrance fees and their behavior in the reserve does not correspond to the expected behavior of tourists in a protected area. Also the local authorities do not have a vision of sustainable development of their municipality, which would take into account positively the existence of the reserve in order to convert her in a place to benefit all local inhabitants. In the contrary they are continuously supporting economical initiatives resulting in even stronger threats to the environment by amplifying the occupied zones, supporting informal urbanization as well as the unsustainable use of the beaches within and neighboring to the reserve and finally by authorizing inappropriate industries. A complete change of their vision and attitude is absolutely necessary to resolve the current problems.