Environmental disaster in Cerro Campisa by

Michael Taylor

Global Courant 2023-05-10 12:01:33

The felling of the forest and the destruction of the fauna in the hill Campisa set off alarm bells among environmentalists, who are asking the municipal corporation act as soon as possible.

The Environment Department is doing its part and will request the Corporation to declare the hill and its surroundings a natural reserve to stop the damage, construction and invasions that are increasing daily.

But while the authorities decide whether to act or not, the situation worsens on the hill, located near the second ring road, adjacent to the sunseri aquiferin the northeast of San Pedro Sula.

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civil and environmental engineer

Lilian Espinoza:

“The city is running out of nature reserves, and the hill is a benefit for the entire city.”

The environmental engineer Lilian Rosmery Espinoza Cruz explains that the hill Campisa was categorized in a municipality zoning ordinance as Natural Protection Zone II (ZPN II), but this category was changed in 2019 as an area to be validated due to its water importance for supply from elevation 140.

It details that this change could go unnoticed by the majority of the population, which is not familiar with technical environmental terms.

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“The above highlights that a Natural Protection Zone it means that it has a broader importance, since it tries to ensure the preservation of natural environments and their components; that is, to conserve its outstanding characteristics, such as its ecosystems, flora and fauna species, natural, historical, cultural resources, scenic beauties, among others”.

The civil engineer also explains that when it comes to an area to validate its water importance, it is manifesting that this area only has one aspect to protect, which is water, but it is left at the mercy of demonstrating that in truth the hill Campisa it contributes to the production of water resources and downplays the other environmental aspects present in the area.

The worrying thing, according to the specialist, is that if it is shown that its contribution to the city’s water supply is not significant, there is practically no restriction for the area to be developed as a residential sector.

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The engineer classifies as a great risk that the category of the hill Campisa because it is not true that it is only important for its contribution to the production of water for the city, since there is great wealth in it that all those who have been able to visit are witnesses of it.

The area is a dry forest, apparently the only one that exists in the municipality of San Pedro SulaTherefore, from a forestry point of view, it has a very high status to be conserved.

On the other hand, hikers who have traveled the hill have photographed coatis, porcupines, cusucos, monkeys, birds of different species such as woodpeckers, guardabarrancos, trogons, among others.

To know

The embankments in the city’s rivers are an example of the lack of control and supervision in the Industrial Capital.

In the area there have been organized walking tours to learn about the fauna and in one hour more than 40 species have been photographed and there is even a nature lovers club that exchanges photographs of the species they find in Campisa.

“It is undeniable that this hill is a recharge area for the sunseri Aquifer, One only has to observe how the water gushes out on the slopes of the hill to conclude this statement, since some of the residents who have built on these slopes have had to make subdrains to channel the water that flows under their houses, water that born on the hill.

Erick Ramirezof the Environment Management, director of forest protection and control, states that they are aware of the importance of the mountain and it must be protected. We know about the destruction and action has been taken on these cases, but we need special legislation.

The residents of the sector explain that they have raised lists to ask the authorities to monitor the situation because they see that every day the invasions increase and the disaster is greater.

They consider that there is discomfort because they are being invaded by people who are coming to live and are devastating a protected area. The call is for construction permits to stop in the area and for the municipal authorities to do something to stop the disaster in the Campisa hill.

The environmental management will ask the corporations for a declaration in the area.


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