The volcanoes of Guatemala are a tourist attraction for nationals and foreigners. However, in these spaces activities are carried out that can damage natural elementscultural and productive that they house, opputting people’s lives at risk who venture to climb them.
For this reason, the National Council of Protected Areas (Conap) recently published the Regulations for the management of the definitive closed areas established in the volcanoes of the Republic of Guatemala. This is an update of an agreement that dates back to 1956.
Lucila Pérez, advisor on Cultural Heritage and Ecotourism at Conap, indicates that the objective of the regulations is to comply with the purposes of conservation and protection of closed areas in 33 volcanoes in the country.
Said area is a duly delimited space that is located from the crater of a volcano to a slope of 30%. No clearing of debris may be carried out in that area and the restoration of its forests must be encouraged through natural regeneration, according to the regulations.
Pérez indicates that it was necessary to update the agreement from ago 70 years according to the current context, due to a series of illicit activities that take place in the protected areas of the volcanoes and that, due to the lack of clarity about the permitted and prohibited uses in the closed areas, continue to be carried out.
He points out that this regulation was created while a management category was being developed for each closed zonesince there are categories for the organization of national parks, monuments, biotopes, wildlife refuges, private nature reserves and municipal regional parks, but a specific one has not been developed for this area of volcanoes.
Conap has filed various complaints for activities that damage closed areas. Some are related to illicit logging and usurpation of protected areass.
“The encroachments are having serious impacts on some volcanoes, such as Acatenango, where a change in land use is observed, which is now fragile. You can see a settlement there, but for us it is an invasion, a usurpation of a protected area, since it is not an authorized activity,” indicates the interviewee.
“These areas are only established for the purpose of conservation; they have to be contemplation, where the impact is minimal, not infrastructure construction. In addition, they are high-risk areas, and Conap would not authorize an activity that endangers not only ecosystems, but also people,” he adds.
Lucila Pérez, Conap
Pérez mentions that the Cadastral Information Registry has the closed areas duly delimited for the 33 volcanoes, with the approval of Conap. Some already have a management category, such as Pacaya volcanowhich became a national park.
Previous studies
The regulations establish that, for any human activity, there must previously be a risk and vulnerability analysis. The competent authority to carry it out is the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (Conred).
With respect to tourist activities carried out on volcanoes, if the risk level is low and this is indicated by Conred studies, it can be developed. sustainable tourism. In addition, the tourist potential and carrying capacity must be evaluated, a task that corresponds to the Guatemalan Institute of Tourism (Inguat), since massive visits have been recorded that endanger ecosystems and visitors.
“The regulations reaffirm the prohibition of access to highly dangerous places, but the idea is not to stop tourist activities, but to order their development. Yes, you can visit the places and, with a vulnerability and risk study, It can be established, for example, that climbing is definitely not allowed on the Santiaguito volcano because it is a high-risk area,” he adds.
He Fire volcano It is another in which it is prohibited to carry out any type of visiting activity, as it is a danger zone.
The slopes of the volcanoes are not considered closed areas and they are under the administration of the municipalities, which are responsible for developing actions to prevent the illegal activities carried out there, since any entry, whether by vehicle or on foot, is carried out from those points.
What is allowed
The regulations list 26 activities that can be done in closed areas of volcanoes, including actions for conservation, protection and restoration of ecosystems; measures that promote ecological connectivity; research studies; construction of ecological fertilizer beds, and control and surveillance tasks to prevent the deterioration of natural resources.
The use of forestry and non-timber flora for subsistence purposes is also permitted.as long as it is not commercial; soil conservation and water protection measures; scientific research; environmental education; biological monitoring; the construction of trails and basic infrastructure for the management of the protected area, as well as the installation and maintenance of equipment used by the National Institute of Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology (Insivumeh).
Telecommunications antennas already installed in the closed area can remain in placebut new ones cannot be installed. These must have the corresponding environmental license.
“We know that volcanoes are important, since some are considered or have sacred places immersed and are visited for that purpose; however, if the danger is high, this type of activity will not be developed if there are no studies that indicate that it is pertinent,” says Pérez.
What is prohibited
The regulations prohibit 20 activitiesincluding clearing debris for agricultural purposes; make any land use change; enter or extract parts or derivatives of species of fauna and flora, and introduce exotic, invasive or non-invasive species.
The construction of roads for any use is also not permitted; human settlements; mining exploration and exploitation; hunting activities; the establishment of garbage dumps and gravel deposits; the extraction of rocks or other materials found in the volcano; the collection of firewood for use within the closed area, nor the entry and use of motorcycles, ATVs and other motorized vehicles.
The consumption of alcohol, cigarettes and narcotic substances is also prohibited, as is the carrying out of social activities, such as concerts, weddings and marriage proposals.
According to the Conap advisor, control actions at the site must be coordinated with local authorities, owners and organizations that carry out tourist activities on the volcanoes.
“We do not intend to close the opportunity for economic development of local communities through tourism, but rather to organize and reduce the vulnerability of ecosystems and people,” concludes Pérez.