Illegal hunting, wildfires, illegal fishing, and lack of staff and infrastructure
Even before the national park was declared, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources had taken legal measures to protect the manatee and giant otter. In 1978, manatee hunting and altering habitat was banned, and in 1979 that hunting ban became permanent for both the manatee and giant otter. In addition, on the international level, both species are included in CITES Appendix I. These legal restrictions on hunting should be accompanied by other measures, such as increased staff and infrastructure to patrol and control all points of access to the protected area. The superintendent is already making headway as he forms an alliance with the municipal government to secure a park office in the town of El Pilar and a park guard station at Ajíes Port. Another park guard post is planned in the indigenous community of Guariquén, but no resources have been secured and no alliances have been created in order to commence construction. Another important site for a park guard post is Aruca Stream.
With new park guard posts, the majority of the illegal hunting, fishing, and collecting live animals for commercialization could be controlled. In addition, there should be more cooperation with the National Guard to carry out joint operations to determine fauna trafficking routes and detain those responsible.
Educational activities are also required. First, education and technical advising should be provided to inhabitants living next to the protected area. This could be offered in cooperation with other governmental agencies like the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Education and Sports, and the National Fishing Institute, and local and national non-governmental organizations. School-based environmental education is a way to instill an environmental ethic in future generations and teach them the importance of prohibiting illegal fishing and wildlife hunting to protect biodiversity. These programs must also include indigenous communities close to the park and should promote productive activities that help provide them necessary subsistence while at the same time keep them from resorting to illegal hunting and commercialization of wildlife species.
Species protection initiatives within the park also deserve special mention. Currently, Vuelta Larga Foundation has a proposal to create a Zoological Diversity Conservation Center in the park's buffer zone; the first project will study and conserve the giant and neotropical river otters (Ceballos and col. 2001).
La Brea Stream is important for biodiversity and should be protected
Populations of manatees and giant otters found outside the park also need protecting, such as those inhabiting Caño La Brea, near the park's southwestern borders. Currently, this area is not protected at all; rather it is part of the Guarapiche Forestry Reserve (which is a productive reserve). Originally, this stream's inclusion was proposed and today this proposal has resurfaced since it is needed to guarantee viability of these populations and other species. An alternative to expanding the national park borders is to create a Wildlife Refuge (Rodríguez and Rojas-Suárez 1999).
Agriculture and a drainage canal
Inhabitants of adjacent communities farming within the park are concentrated near Ajíes Stream, across from the community of the same name, which facilitates vigilance and control efforts. Farming dates back before the park was created, and established norms in fact permit it to continue under certain conditions. For example, farmers must practice soil conservation and prevent significant erosion or pollution from entering superficial or subterranean waters (República de Venezuela 1989). This necessarily implies that other official organizations, like the Ministry of Agriculture and Land, must intervene to provide technical assistance to the farmers to develop and implement conservation techniques that do not degrade the environment. In addition, the environmental impact of crops in flooded areas should be assessed to determine the feasibility of permitting these crops in this type of ecosystem.
As was mentioned in the threats section, the drainage canal had two major negative impacts on the ecosystem: it facilitated crop expansion and altered the movement of currents. Therefore, research should be undertaken to determine which corrective measures should be applied. Ideally, the canal should be closed to restore the flow of currents in Ajíes upstream waters. Nonetheless, the environmental impact, technology and machinery required to implement this measure should be evaluated. Any agriculture conducted in adjacent areas that has spilled over into the protected area and began after the park was declared is illegal and should be stopped and relocated to another area. Policies to regulate human activities and farming in areas near the park are needed. Buffer zone development is one strategy that seeks to create balance in the human-nature relationship by regulating uses. The worldwide trend in buffer zones is to carry out low-impact activities, like shade coffee production, in order to harmonize agricultural production with conservation objectives.
Petroleum development projects in adjacent areas
According to Venezuela's Constitution, Environmental and Socio-Economic Impact Studies must accompany any petroleum exploration, exploitation, and industrialization projects (República Bolivariana de Venezuela 1999). Those projects proposed and being developed around the park should be no exception. These studies would determine the magnitude of the projects' impacts on the ecosystem and should not be limited to just forming alternatives for the projects' development but should include preventative, corrective, and mitigation measures for any identified impacts. The fact that the park's biodiversity has already been affected by both past and present human activities must be taken into account. In addition, these studies must be public and citizen participation and public consultation should be included so that the community is informed of the petroleum activities' impacts on biodiversity and fishing and so that they will be considered in the decision-making process.
Finally, exploratory surveys within the park should be prohibited not only because of potential impacts but because the park's primary function as a protected area is to safeguard valuable biodiversity elements. In addition, the park provides important environmental services such as providing habitat for growing and developing species important to human consumption and commerce and acting as an important carbon sink, helping to regulate regional and global climate.
