Urban Protected Wild Areas in Paraguay

Urbanization has the potential to contribute positively to human development in many ways and the quality of life of urban citizens depends heavily on how the surrounding ecosystems are managed. It is within this context urban protected areas (PAs) gain importance in the conservation of biodiversity and the achievement of sustainable development. 

Lambare Hill in the city of Asunción

Urban PAs are situated in or at the edge of cities. In governance terms, most of them are under the responsibility of national, state or provincial, or local governments; others are managed by NGOs or businesses; and some are collaborative or community efforts. PAs in cities face another kind of challenge which is that of urban sprawl and the continued threat to extend city boundaries.

Urban PAs promote human health and well-being, they provide spaces for social interaction and promote community cohesion; provide urban people a sense of place; offer opportunities to learn about nature and sustainability. Urban PAs commonly provide a range of ecosystem services such as supplying and storing clean water; conserving marine and freshwater fisheries; reducing air pollution; and moderating the urban heat island effect. They also support the local economy with income from tourism. They can enhance resilience to storms, flooding, sea rise, ocean storm surges and mudslides, thus protecting millions of people.

Paraguay has a few urban protected wild areas. They include:

·         Asunción Bay and San Miguel Bank Ecological Reserve

·         Lambaré Hill National Reserve Area

·         Wetlands of the Lower Chaco Wildlife Refuge

·         Tati Yupi Biological Refuge

Currently, there is a proposed law in Congress that declares “protected wild areas” those areas of public domain such as plazas, parks, military properties, hospital green areas, and high school and recreational center green areas in the city of Asunción and surrounding municipalities.

However, these areas should be called “municipal protected areas” and not “protected wild areas”. Protected wild areas, based on Law No. 352/94, are areas with natural or semi natural characteristics that are submitted to a management of their resources to accomplish objectives that guarantee the conservation, defense and improvement of the environment and of the involved natural resources.

The urban constituency plays an important role in conservation albeit in a different way. Political leaders are under ever greater pressure to listen to what their electorate tells them and conservation depends on support from urban voters, donors and communicators.