Posted on 11
August 2010
A massive swath of Colombia's Pacific coast
has become the country’s newest national
park.
After months of intense debate and only
days before a new government took office,
Colombia announced that a massive swath
of its Pacific coast, also an important
spawning ground for humpback whales, has
become the country’s newest national park.
Environment Minister
Carlos Costa announced on Aug. 5th that
Malaga Bay Uramba National Natural Park
would span 47,094-hectares along the central
part of Colombia’s Pacific coast. The area
is recognized as one of the world’s most
important sites for the reproduction of
humpback whales, with 500 to 700 visiting
each year.
It’s also home to some
60 amphibious species, 148 species of saltwater
and freshwater fish, 25 species of sea and
beach birds, 141 species of molluscs, 99
species of crustacean, 400 species of trees,
plus swamps and a huge variety of flora.
“This decision brings
to an end a long chapter of discussion and
opens a new page for the future of the region
and the country. It’s a major achievement
that recognizes the importance of the conservation
of the marine ecosystems in the Colombian
Pacific that so far have been underrepresented
in the National System of Protected Areas
in Colombia,” asserted Mary Lou Higgins,
WWF Representative in Colombia.
Discussions over whether
the zone should be declared a protected
area or the site of a new port ignited a
tense debate between conservation and economic
development. Colombia’s national paper El
Espectator described the process as one
of the country’s “toughest environmental
battles in recent years.”
Opposition to the park
chiefly came from business leaders, who
argued that a protected area in Malaga would
seriously limit the development of the country’s
port system. They claimed that a new port
id needed to handle larger post-Panamax
class ships that are increasingly entering
service.
In May, Costa stated
that the government was examining the possibility
of setting up a park and port facility in
the same area, but concluded that Malaga
Bay’s ecosystems would be irreparably damaged
with an increase of commercial shipping.
Experts also concluded
that dredging to deepen the access channel
at Colombia’s existing Buenaventura Bay
port would be sufficient to meet the demands
created by the larger tonnage vessels.
Local Afro-Colombian
communities overwhelmingly supported the
declaration of the zone as a protected area,
recognizing that the establishment of the
new reserve would help guard their territory
as well as their traditional livelihoods.
“We applaud this decision
that respects the wishes and efforts of
many people; it strengthens the work of
institutions like National Parks, and the
mission of organizations like WWF whilst
opening a future path that reconciles conservation
with sustainable development led by communities
in the zone,” Ms. Higgins added.
