Mentioning the Morrocoy National Park is imagining crystalline beaches, white sands, keys surrounded by natural beauties, a unique ecosystem, which prompted the Venezuelan State to decree that marine space as a national park on May 26th, 1974, with the intention of preserving its coasts, fauna and flora.
By Correspondent lapatilla.com
Located in eastern Falcón State, it extends over land and water areas of “Golfo Triste”. The Morrocoy National Park is made up of mangroves, islets and cays, which make it a national and international tourist attraction. Its proximity to the states of Aragua, Miranda, Carabobo and Lara, allows many national tourists to arrive from the central region of the country and also foreigners through the Maiquetía International Airport in Vargas State.
Almost half a century has passed since it was established as a national park, and the ambition of some people, the unconsciousness of others and the absence of government control in the face of transgressions against the environment, have plunged into neglect this precious natural heritage of Venezuela.
It has suffered innumerable oil spills due to its proximity to the El Palito refinery, located in the neighboring state of Carabobo; sewage is dumped directly onto its shores; inns that have taken over its beaches and illegally established themselves as private; pollution with plastics as a result of the imprudence of visitors; fishing of fundamental species to maintain the marine balance.
To these problems must be added the effects of construction projects, approved by Nicolás Maduro’s regime, without a prior environmental impact study. These are non-viable infrastructures, because they directly affect marine biodiversity (fauna and flora), the same which make Morrocoy National Park unique, and cause irreparable damage over time.
Government complicity
All these actions have been denounced by environmentalists, residents of nearby areas and service providers who live off tourism that takes place in the Morrocoy National Park. The “Fundación Azul Ambientalista” denounced the construction of the road to the Mayorquina area, which was closed to all because it is a breeding area for sea turtles (spawning area). It is a wetland also used by fish for courtship, mating, release and fertilization of gametes, or to deposit fertilized eggs.
Opening an access road to that part of the national park has a clear intention: the construction of a resort in Mayorquina. In this area, mating occurs in the waters near the coast and later the female turtle emerges from the sea and lays her eggs on the sand. After 45 days, the hatchlings are born.
Disturbing a spawning area due to uncontrolled tourist activity (which is what has been happening for a long time in the Morrocoy National Park) is not recommended, especially for an area that was closed by order of the Ministry of the Environment and “Inparques” (National Parks Institute), due to to its importance for the reproduction of turtles.
“Today any person comes by and wants to form a consortium and goes over all environmental laws and the protection of sea turtles,” said Victoria González, spokeswoman for the Fundación Azul Ambientalista.
She explained that they have been aware for a few days that the Ministry of the Environment itself started the earth works. Inhabitants of the nearby areas assert that the project is attributed to a businessman who paid the Ministry of the Environment to open the dirt road that would connect the Mayorquina area with Varadero.
“A week ago we saw the movement of motorcycles through Varadero, violating the park’s orders that prohibit the passage of motor vehicles within its facilities. The situation is serious, because the rules of the national park are being violated. The fact that there has been a sale of land to make hotel or tourist complexes does not take away the responsibility for the environmental damage that they may cause,” said González.
The “Fundación Azul Ambientalista” is not against progress, but they stress that it must be eco-sustainable and be maintained over time. “A type of construction where there is felling of mangroves, knowing that mangroves are protected in Venezuela by decree and internationally, because they represent blue carbon dioxide production zones, in addition to the damage caused by these earth works, they mean a certain danger to the sea turtle reservoir,” warned the NGO spokesperson.
Preserve habitat
According to the Fundación Azul Ambientalista, Venezuela has five species of turtles that nest on its shores, and one of the main nesting sites is the Morrocoy National Park. For this reason, they are spaces that are closed so that man does not intervene.
Now, Mayorquina is being affected by the construction of a tourist complex, damaging the marine biodiversity that makes the park special. “It is about unbridled tourism that does not generate any well-being to the ecosystem, but rather disturbs what was in environmental balance.”
Sea turtles have international protection due to their importance to the ecosystem. However, the most important thing is the preservation of nesting spaces, since of the number of eggs that a female turtle spawns, only between 10% and 15% reach adulthood and of these specimens, only one small amount reaches reproduction. Hence the importance of nesting areas.
“The ambition of a few people cannot be allowed to destroy the ecosystem and cause third-generation human rights damage, because future generations will not be able to enjoy natural spaces where sea turtles nest on the Venezuelan coasts. If we keep attacking their spaces, we won’t have them. Unfortunately, we will not be able to tell our children and grandchildren that these animals existed and that they will see them in a museum, because they were not preserved, and the ambition of a few people damaged their ecosystem and their environment,” González warned.