Mundo Azul

Vegetación natural en la Bahía de Paracas, © Stefan Austermühle / Mundo Azul

Year of implementation: 2001

Donor: Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ)

Staff:
Julio Arenas (ProNaturaleza)
Stefan Austermühle (Mundo Azul)

Location: The Bay of Paracas is located in the northern limit of the Paracas National Reserve

Goal:

Barco varado en la Bahía de Paracas, © Stefan Austermühle / Mundo Azul

The Bay of Paracas is an important resting and feeding site for marine birds, shore birds and migratory birds. It is also a location with several archeological sites. However, the Bay of Paracas suffers strong threats such as marine contamination by human population and industrial activities.

The study aimed to define proposals for a better management of the area.

Results:

Rayadores negros en la Playa Atenas, Bahía de Paracas, © Stefan Austermühle / Mundo Azul

The proposal defined three recuperation areas (according to the definitions used by the National Institute for Natural Resources). These areas require urgent measures to reduce environmental impact.

The proposal defines the area of one zone of maximum protection covering the most important feeding and resting grounds for birds, as well as areas counting with natural vegetation and presence of archeological sites.

Two wilderness areas are proposed, where tourists may enter without using vehicles of any kind in order to allow controlled bird watching tourism. The areas also serve as a buffer between the maximum protection zone and the reserves limits.

Two service zones are suggested, which serve to strengthen management and control of the tourism activity in the area, while at the same time offering opportunities for environmental education.

One recreation zone was proposed in order to allow a managed use of the beaches by tourists. This area is situated close to a new service area, which helps to establish control.

One Historic Zone allows the development of educational and tourism activities aiming for historical and cultural topics. This area is located in a way that allows to avoid any negative impact on biodiversity conservation.

Finally, the project developed proposals for other goals and activities to be developed in order to secure efficient management of the area.