Millions of people in northwestern Venezuela could be at risk of losing access to clean drinking water if more effort isn’t given to conserving natural watersheds and protected forests, environmentalists say. Illegal settlements have pushed into important protected areas like Yacambú National Park in the state of Lara, degrading forests that serve as natural aquifers for multiple cities and towns. If those aquifers disappear, millions could face water scarcity in the years to come, experts believe. “This is a situation that has happened before, but it wasn’t that pronounced and it wasn’t really a threat,” said Alzehy Colmenárez, a member of the Forest Guardians movement in Lara, an informal environmental activist group. He added, “It’s really urgent that we attack this situation because if this continues for another five years, we won’t have any water.” The 270-square-kilometer (103-square-mile) Yacambú National Park sits near the Venezuelan Andes, giving it a mix of tropical moist forest and savanna. It also happens to sit just south of Barquisimeto, one of the largest cities in the country, with a population of around a million people. The Yacambú River connects to 25 smaller watersheds and tributaries that serve eight municipalities in and around the city, as well as jurisdictions in the neighboring state of Portuguesa. An illegal structure built by squatters in the park. Photo courtesy of Forest Guardians. Like most protected areas in Venezuela, Yacambú National Park has a written protection plan with conservation objectives designed to the specific needs of its flora and…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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