Dangerous campfires
Salinas Aguada Blanca National Reserve (RNSAB), located in the departments of Arequipa and Moquegua, protects important mountainous landscapes, virgin vegetation, and has cultural significance. The reserve was created in 1979 and covers 366, 936 hectares. Within the reserve are snow capped mountains, volcanoes, -the most well known are Misti (5821 meters above sea level), Chachani (6075 meters above sea level), and Pichu Pichu (5440 meters above sea level)- streams, and high Andean lagoons such as Laguna de Salinas and Laguna del Indio. Despite its natural importance and its value as a tourist destination, the reserve does not have sufficient economic resources to overcome threats. Wildfires are the most serious threat to the reserve. In 2003, there have been four wildfires; the most damaging occurred on October 12, 2003 in which 260 hectares of core-zone vegetation were destroyed.
Mr. Marco Avendaño, park ranger in RNSAB, was on duty during the 24 hours that fire burned the slopes of Chachani Volcano. He explains, \”All six park rangers helped to extinguish the flames by digging ditches and cutting back grassy vegetation. Finally, with the help of 20 volunteers who saw the smoke from town and came to help, we were able to control and stop the fire.\” Luckily, no dead or wounded animals were found. However, there was a significant loss of grassy vegetation and pastureland. This vegetation serves as fodder for local people\’s cattle that graze inside the reserve. Arequipa\’s Ecological Police force blames the fire on the native population. As they explain, many times they purposefully set the fires in order to stimulate new vegetative growth for their cattle to eat. However, fires set inside of the reserve can and do get out of control and are therefore a potential threat every time they are started.
Twelve days after this wildfire occurred, another one began in the buffer zone on the slopes of Misti Volcano. Two hundred hectares burned over a day and a half. This time, nothing could be done to control the fire because it was the weekend and only three park rangers were in the reserve. Straw vegetation, small bushes, and puna grasses were destroyed. The prosecutor\’s office in Arequipa has received two joint denouncements from the reserve\’s administration and the local Ecological Police. They have two hypotheses about what happened and who is responsible.
First, they believe that the local herders are responsible because it is common for them to burn pastureland in order to acquire fodder for their herds. A second hypothesis is that Andeans from Arequipa are responsible because of their carelessness when camping and building campfires. The second hypothesis is less likely because most campers do not normally hike to the affected zone. Either way, it will be impossible to prove who did it because there are no ranger stations in that part of the reserve. The only stations are located near the habitat of the vicuñas, a species endangered from over hunting that resides in the reserve. This year, the reserve has asked for help from the Ecological Police and from volunteers to build a ranger station and lookout tower. It is a difficult task considering the steep slopes and lack of water in that zone.
Lack of environmental consciousness
Arturo Cornejo, biologist and director of the reserve, believes that the fundamental problem is the lack of environmental consciousness-by both locals in and around the reserve and by Arequipa city residents. He says, \”Our plan is to help instill a conservation ethic in the community. We are working with the National Environmental Council (CONAM) to carry out environmental education inside the reserve with Arequipa residents.\” While this is a commendable start, the problems caused by local herders and irresponsible tourists are not easy to resolve and require more. The situation is much more complicated and the socio-economic-environmental conflict is deeply rooted.
The indigenous population of the rural communities surrounding the protected area is about 1,920 families, or approximately 11,520 people. Seven hundred people live within the reserve\’s boundaries. Most people in the region raise cattle and therefore depend on the natural pasturelands, which are now heavily degraded. Aside from degrading the vegetation, human activity also affects the fauna; there is illegal poaching of deer, pumas, and birds.
Threats to Salinas Aguada Blanca National Reserve do not only emerge from the local population\’s use of its resources, but also by outside investment and projects like highways and dams (1). These types of threats tend to increase the pressure on the natural resources, which have a ripple effect and further degrade the local people\’s quality of life. Habitat destruction, especially of high altitude wetlands known as \”bofedales,\” directly affects the locals because bofedales harbor native grasses that cattle prefer. As bofedales are destroyed by outside, large-scale development projects, the impact from cattle on the remaining bofedales is intensified and the cattle themselves go undernourished, thereby harming the herders and ranchers.
The National Institute of Natural Resources (INRENA) and Salinas Aguada Blanca National Reserve have elaborated a master conservation and development plan, which attempts to confront poverty in and around the reserve. Included is a plan to build irrigation canals so that the herders can water pasture areas. The plan includes a program in which cattle belonging to local herders will receive a genetic improvement treatment and veterinary attention. Tourists will also benefit from well-marked trails and routes, services, and local products. Also included in the plan is a fish hatchery project that is supposed to benefit Arequipa citizens in general.
Steps in the right direction
The RAMSAR office has recently listed two of Salinas Aguada Blanca National Reserve\’s high altitude wetlands on the List of Wetlands of International Importance: Laguna de Salinas and Laguna del Indio-Dique de los Españoles. There are bofedales along the shores of the Laguna de Salinas lagoon. This vegetation, which was mentioned before as a favorite of cattle in the area, is also preferred by the Camelid native species in the area, such as the vicuñas (Vicugna vicugna) and llamas (Lama glama). Other species that depend on these lagoons for survival include the Chilean flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis), James\’ flamingo (Phoenicoparrus jamesi) and the threatened Andean flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus), which is abundant in this wetland with almost 20,000 individuals present during the rainy season (2). The lagoons Laguna del Indio and el Dique de los Españoles are habitat for a number of wild duck species, including the Andean duck (Oxyura ferruginea) and the crested duck (Anas specularioides). The locals also make use the bofedales for fishing, and collecting eggs.
Salinas Aguada Blanca National Reserve benefits from being included on RAMSAR\’s List of Wetlands of International Importance because this sort of international recognition helps to develop national conservation awareness and pride. Hopefully, the recognition will help to better protect the reserve and its resources.
ParksWatch-Perú: November 2003
By: Inés Vera
______
Notes
1 Salinas Aguada Blanca\’s Master Plan: Plan Maestro de la Reserva Nacional Salinas Aguada Blanca 2001, Instituto Nacional de Recursos Naturales, INRENA
2 www.ramsar.org Press Release, \” Peru designa dos sitios RAMSAR alto andinos\” (5 de noviembre del 2003)