Protected Area System Research Articles

Lessons learned from the application of Management Effectiveness Evaluation in Sabah Al-Ahmad Natural Reserve: Implications for conservation in Kuwait

The main objective of this research is to apply the Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MME) assessment for Sabah Al-Ahmad Natural Reserve in the State of Kuwait. During this research, scheduled program has been developed to visit the protected area, in order to identify the current situation. The analyses were done according to the methodology of IUCN. Management effectiveness reflects three main themes in protected area management, these themes are: 1. design issues relating to both individual sites and protected area system (context, planning); 2. adequacy and appropriateness of management system processes (input, process assessment); 3. and delivery of protected area objectives including conservation of values (outputs, outcomes assessment). The assessment revealed that the management in Sabah Al Ahmad Natural Reserve, failed in the achievement of the specific strategic objective as a national park. The failure of achievement of the target is mainly due to the absence of policies or practices related to the application of multi-criteria approach. It is recommended to ensure the application of the Management Effectiveness Evaluation as a multi-criteria assessment technique for the better management based on actual evaluation of the state of management and types of policies and planning in the reserve.

Geographic variation in species richness, rarity, and the selection of areas for conservation: An integrative approach with Brazilian estuarine fishes

While the number of species is a key indicator of ecological assemblages, spatial conservation priorities solely identified from species richness are not necessarily efficient to protect other important biological assets. Hence, the results of spatial prioritization analysis would be greatly enhanced if richness were used in association to complementary biodiversity measures. In this study, geographic patterns in estuarine fish species rarity (i.e. the average range size in the study area), endemism and richness, were mapped and integrated to identify regions important for biodiversity conservation along the Brazilian coast. Furthermore, we analyzed the effectiveness of the national system of protected areas to represent these regions. Analyses were performed on presence/absence data of 412 fish species in 0.25° latitudinal bands covering the entire Brazilian biogeographical province. Species richness, rarity and endemism patterns differed and strongly reflected biogeographical limits and regions. However, among the existing 154 latitudinal bands, 48 were recognized as conservation priorities by concomitantly harboring high estuarine fish species richness and assemblages of geographically rare species. Priority areas identified for all estuarine fish species largely differed from those identified for Brazilian endemics. Moreover, there was no significant correlation between the different aspects of the fish assemblages considered (i.e. species richness, endemism or rarity), suggesting that designating reserves based on a single variable may lead to large gaps in the overall protection of biodiversity. Our results further revealed that the existing system of protected areas is insufficient for representing the priority bands we identified. This highlights the urgent need for expanding the national network of protected areas to maintain estuarine ecosystems with high conservation value.

Концепція формування системи заповідних об’єктів з метою збереження біорізноманіття України на екологічних засадах

Концепція формування системи заповідних об’єктів з метою збереження біорізноманіття України на екологічних засадах

The financial needs vs. the realities of in situ conservation: an analysis of federal funding for protected areas in Brazil's Caatinga

AbstractIn situ conservation is an effective strategy to protect biodiversity, and Brazil has one of the largest protected area (PA) systems in the world. However, the distribution of Brazilian PAs is uneven and the Caatinga drylands are poorly protected. As financial resources are essential for effectively managing PAs, we analyzed the Brazilian Government's budget allocated to 20 federal PAs in the Caatinga between 2008 and 2014, which ranged from 231,575 USD in 2008 to 13.5 Mi USD in 2011. Neither expenses, nor the availability of funds, were homogeneous among PAs or throughout the years. Land acquisition in a single PA consumed ~75% of the budget, and the two smallest PAs received proportionally the most money. Excluding land acquisition, the 20 PAs received 0.50 USD/ha/year. Funds were allocated not to biodiversity conservation per se but mainly to securing offices, cars, and equipment. From 2012 onwards, the PA budget was reduced. Even including salaries, the budget allocated for these PAs is ~13 times lower than what the Ministry of the Environment declared necessary for the basic operation of protected areas in Brazil, 1.5 times lower than values spent worldwide, up to 5 times lower than spent in Latin American and African parks, and up to 72 times lower than spent in the European Union, exposing one cause of the precarious situation of the Caatinga PAs.

Conservation effectiveness of protected areas for Hong Kong butterflies declines under climate change

Protected areas are important in conserving the rapid decline of biodiversity in the Anthropocene. Yet uncertainty persists whether protected areas will continue to meet conservation goals if climate change causes community or ecosystem shifts. Previous research has proven equivocal with some studies finding protected areas fail conservation objectives and others finding objectives are largely met. The effectiveness of protected area systems within tropical Asia and for insects are particularly under-studied. Using species distribution modeling of 68 butterfly species (15,346 locality records), we carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of protected areas in Hong Kong, one of the most well-covered (40% land area) protected area systems in the Asian tropics, and projected how the ability to protect biodiversity would change under different climate change scenarios and different conservation target schemes. Under climate change, 15–37% of the modeled species in 2000 were projected to become extirpated by 2050. Under all conservation target schemes, the proportion of species unprotected increased or leveled, by up to as much as 7%. If buffer grids were considered as unprotected, the increase in these gap species was much greater, by up to as much as 22%. These results together indicate that under climate change, the effectiveness of protected areas for butterflies in Hong Kong is likely to decrease despite the territory’s relatively high proportion of protected area coverage. We also highlight here the importance of the fortification of partly protected areas in mediating biodiversity loss under the impacts of global change.

Defining the qualitative elements of Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 with regard to the marine and coastal environment in order to strengthen global efforts for marine biodiversity conservation outlined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Aichi Target 11 states that, “by 2020, at least 17 per cent of terrestrial and inland water, and 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services, are conserved through effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and well-connected systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, and integrated into the wider landscapes and seascapes”. There has been rapid progress to meet the quantitative goal (the 10% target). However, the qualitative aspects of Aichi target 11 are less well described. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 to “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development” reaffirms the quantitative element of Aichi target 11, and, through the described sub-targets, places further emphasis on the economic and social context of global development. The complexity of the language from Aichi target 11 is not mirrored in SDG 14, leading to a potential scenario where the knowledge and progress towards Aichi Target 11 will be diluted as the focus shifts to the SDGs. This paper presents current knowledge and implementation of the qualitative elements of Aichi Target 11 and highlights gaps in knowledge. We conclude that the progress made so far on describing and implementing the qualitative goals of Aichi Target 11 should be integrated into SDG 14 in order to strengthen global efforts for marine biodiversity conservation and support the broader vision for sustainable development that will “transform our world”.

Quantifying the National Significance of Local Areas for Regional Conservation Planning: North Carolina’s Mountain Treasures

Conservation scientists recognize that additional protected areas are needed to maintain biological diversity and ecological processes. As regional conservation planners embark on recommending additional areas for protection in formal ecological reserves, it is important to evaluate candidate lands for their role in building a resilient protected areas system of the future. Here, we evaluate North Carolina’s Mountain Treasures with respect to their (1) ecological integrity, (2) role in connecting existing core protected areas, (3) potential to diversify the ecosystem representation of reserves, and (4) role in maintaining hotspots of biologically-rich areas that are not well protected. Mountain Treasures represent a citizen inventory of roadless areas and serve as candidates for elevated levels of conservation protection on U.S. federal lands. We compared Mountain Treasures to other candidate lands throughout the country to evaluate their potential national significance. While the Mountain Treasures tended to be more impacted by human modifications than other roadless areas, they are as important as other roadless areas with respect to their role in connecting existing protected areas and diversifying representation of ecosystems in conservation reserves. However, Mountain Treasures tended to have a much higher biodiversity priority index than other roadless areas leading to an overall higher composite score compared to other roadless areas. Our analysis serves as an example of how using broad-scale datasets can help conservation planners assess the national significance of local areas.

Wild, connected, and diverse: building a more resilient system of protected areas.

Current systems of conservation reserves may be insufficient to sustain biodiversity in the face of climate change and habitat losses. Consequently, calls have been made to protect Earth's remaining wildlands and complete the system of protected areas by establishing conservation reserves that (1) better represent ecosystems, (2) increase connectivity to facilitate biota movement in response to stressors including climate change, and (3) promote species persistence within intact landscapes. Using geospatial data, we conducted an assessment for expanding protected areas within the contiguous United States to include the least human-modified wildlands, establish a connected network, and better represent ecosystem diversity and hotspots of biodiversity. Our composite map highlights areas of high value to achieve these goals in the western United States, where existing protected areas and lands with high ecological integrity are concentrated. We also identified important areas in the East rich in species and containing ecosystems that are poorly represented in the existing protected area system. Expanding protection to these priority areas is ultimately expected to create a more resilient system for protecting the nation's biological heritage. This expectation should be subject to rigorous testing prior to implementation, and regional monitoring will ensure areas and actions are adjusted over time.

Business briefs: AnVa Polytech's eco-rubber approved for the pipes and fittings application

Globally, few protected areas exist in areas beyond the jurisdiction of a single state. However, for over 50 years the Antarctic protected areas system has operated in a region governed through multi-national agreement by consensus. We examined the Antarctic Treaty System to determine how protected area designation under a multi-party framework may evolve. The protected areas system, now legislated through the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty and the Convention on the Conservation of Marine Living Resources, remains largely unsystematic and underdeveloped. Since the Antarctic Treaty entered into force in 1961, the original signatory Parties – and Parties with territorial claims in particular − have dominated work towards the designation of protected areas in the region. The distribution of protected areas proposed by individual Parties has largely reflected the location of Parties’ research stations which, in turn, is influenced by national geopolitical factors. Recently non-claimant Parties have become more involved in area protection, with a concurrent increase in areas proposed by two or more Parties. However, overall, the rate of protected area designation has almost halved in the past 10 years. We explore scenarios for the future development of Antarctic protected areas and suggest that the early engagement of Parties in collaborative area protection may strengthen the protected areas system and help safeguard the continent’s values for the future. Furthermore, we suggest that the development of Antarctica’s protected areas system may hold valuable insights for area protection in other regions under multi-Party governance, or areas beyond national jurisdiction such as the high seas or outer space.

The tendencies in the development of the system of specially protected natural territories of Siberia

An analysis is made of 100 years of development of specially protected natural territories of Siberia. Attention is centered on the characteristic features of territorial nature conservation which are determined by the dependence on the political, economic and managerial factors. The analysis revealed the periods of formation, decline, opposite trends and negative dynamics in the establishment of new protected natural territories. Using the history of reserve management and studies of Russia as an example, it is shown that most innovations were tested in Siberia, starting from the establishment of Russia’s first state zapovedniks and zakazniks and ending with the setting up of joint directorates of specially protected natural territories in recent years. It is pointed out that the approaches in substantiating the system of protected natural areas were characterized by fundamental differences: from the organization of “pristine benchmarks” of nature with the ideology of total non-interference, to “farm zapovedniks” for breeding valuable game animals and active maintenance of the population of rare species accompanied by measures to eliminate “harmful” species. The rivalry between the geographical and biocentric approaches is described: in the former case, the preservation of typical natural systems was dominant; in the latter case, the preservation of rare and endangered species was paramount. It is concluded that the unevenness of distribution of zapovedniks, zakazniks and national and natural parks depends on the degree of development and exploration of a relevant territory, the likelihood of a total disappearance of the most valuable areas, and on the existence of lands of indigenous ethnic groups. It is demonstrated that the process of development of the system of territorial nature conservation is governed by the administrative initiative, consideration for the characteristics of a region’s economic development and changeable institutional conditions as well as by the factors of the country’s foreign and internal policy.

Evaluación del estado trófico de El Salitre, último humedal urbano de referencia en Bogotá

El Distrito Capital de Bogotá cuenta con 15 humedales reconocidos como parte del sistema de áreas protegidas de la ciudad, la mayoría de los cuales se encuentran seriamente afectados debido a la presión ejercida por el acelerado crecimiento urbano. A diferencia de los otros sistemas del mismo tipo, el humedal El Salitre, recientemente declarado como Parque Ecológico Distrital de Humedal, no se ha visto afectado por vertimientos de aguas residuales. En este estudio se determinó el estado trófico de dicho humedal a partir de la concentración de nutrientes y clorofila a fitoplanctónica, el cálculo de los índices del estado trófico y la composición taxonómica del fitoplancton. El nutriente limitante fue el nitrógeno. Las bajas concentraciones de compuestos nitrogenados, los índices fitoplanctónicos y la dominancia de desmidias (Conjugatophyceae), indicaron que el humedal El Salitre presentó condiciones de oligotrofia a mesotrofia en los dos periodos climáticos durante los cuales se estudió. Los resultados sugieren que este humedal podría servir como sistema de referencia para los demás humedales de Bogotá. © 2017. Acad. Colomb. Cienc. Ex. Fis. Nat.

Scale-dependent complementarity of climatic velocity and environmental diversity for identifying priority areas for conservation under climate change.

As most regions of the earth transition to altered climatic conditions, new methods are needed to identify refugia and other areas whose conservation would facilitate persistence of biodiversity under climate change. We compared several common approaches to conservation planning focused on climate resilience over a broad range of ecological settings across North America and evaluated how commonalities in the priority areas identified by different methods varied with regional context and spatial scale. Our results indicate that priority areas based on different environmental diversity metrics differed substantially from each other and from priorities based on spatiotemporal metrics such as climatic velocity. Refugia identified by diversity or velocity metrics were not strongly associated with the current protected area system, suggesting the need for additional conservation measures including protection of refugia. Despite the inherent uncertainties in predicting future climate, we found that variation among climatic velocities derived from different general circulation models and emissions pathways was less than the variation among the suite of environmental diversity metrics. To address uncertainty created by this variation, planners can combine priorities identified by alternative metrics at a single resolution and downweight areas of high variation between metrics. Alternately, coarse-resolution velocity metrics can be combined with fine-resolution diversity metrics in order to leverage the respective strengths of the two groups of metrics as tools for identification of potential macro- and microrefugia that in combination maximize both transient and long-term resilience to climate change. Planners should compare and integrate approaches that span a range of model complexity and spatial scale to match the range of ecological and physical processes influencing persistence of biodiversity and identify a conservation network resilient to threats operating at multiple scales.

The spatial distribution of Antarctica’s protected areas: A product of pragmatism, geopolitics or conservation need?

Globally, few protected areas exist in areas beyond the jurisdiction of a single state. However, for over 50 years the Antarctic protected areas system has operated in a region governed through multi-national agreement by consensus. We examined the Antarctic Treaty System to determine how protected area designation under a multi-party framework may evolve. The protected areas system, now legislated through the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty and the Convention on the Conservation of Marine Living Resources, remains largely unsystematic and underdeveloped. Since the Antarctic Treaty entered into force in 1961, the original signatory Parties – and Parties with territorial claims in particular − have dominated work towards the designation of protected areas in the region. The distribution of protected areas proposed by individual Parties has largely reflected the location of Parties’ research stations which, in turn, is influenced by national geopolitical factors. Recently non-claimant Parties have become more involved in area protection, with a concurrent increase in areas proposed by two or more Parties. However, overall, the rate of protected area designation has almost halved in the past 10 years. We explore scenarios for the future development of Antarctic protected areas and suggest that the early engagement of Parties in collaborative area protection may strengthen the protected areas system and help safeguard the continent’s values for the future. Furthermore, we suggest that the development of Antarctica’s protected areas system may hold valuable insights for area protection in other regions under multi-Party governance, or areas beyond national jurisdiction such as the high seas or outer space.

Protected areas in the world’s ecoregions: How well connected are they?

Protected areas (PAs) are the main instrument for biodiversity conservation, which has triggered the development of numerous indicators and assessments on their coverage, performance and efficiency. The connectivity of the PA networks at a global scale has however been much less explored; previous studies have either focused on particular regions of the world or have only considered some types of PAs.Here we present, and globally assess, ProtConn, an indicator of PA connectivity that (i) quantifies the percentage of a study region covered by protected connected lands, (ii) can be partitioned in several components depicting different categories of land (unprotected, protected or transboundary) through which movement between protected locations may occur, (iii) is easy to communicate, to compare with PA coverage and to use in the assessment of global targets for PA systems.We apply ProtConn to evaluate the connectivity of the PA networks in all terrestrial ecoregions of the world as of June 2016, considering a range of median dispersal distances (1–100km) encompassing the dispersal abilities of the large majority of terrestrial vertebrates.We found that 9.3% of the world is covered by protected connected lands (average for all the world’s ecoregions) for a reference dispersal distance of 10km, increasing up to 11.7% for the largest dispersal distance considered of 100km. These percentages are considerably smaller than the global PA coverage of 14.7%, indicating that the spatial arrangement of PAs is only partially successful in ensuring connectivity of protected lands. The connectivity of PAs largely differed across ecoregions. Only about a third of the world’s ecoregions currently meet the Aichi Target of having 17% of the terrestrial realm covered by well-connected systems of PAs. Finally, our findings suggest that PAs with less strict management objectives (allowing the sustainable use of resources) may play a fundamental role in upholding the connectivity of the PA systems.Our analyses and indicator make it possible to identify where on the globe additional efforts are most needed in expanding or reinforcing the connectivity of PA systems, and can be also used to assess whether newly designated sites provide effective connectivity gains in the PA system by acting as corridors or stepping stones between other PAs. The results of the ProtConn indicator are available, together with a suite of other global PA indicators, in the Digital Observatory for Protected Areas of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission.

Evaluation of ecological effectiveness of protected areas in Northwest China

Protected areas (PAs) have experienced explosive growth in Northwest China over the last three decades, but their effectiveness in representing regional ecological system diversity has not attracted considerable attention. Low effectiveness would exacerbate the conservation-development conflicts, particularly those that arise as a result of the Great Western Development Strategy (GWDS). Thus, an assessment of the effectiveness of the PA network has become quite important. We proposed natural vegetation communities to represent regional ecological system diversities, and proposed Global 200 Priority Ecoregions, Important Bird Areas, and ecosystem function regions to represent important conservation areas. To determine their effectiveness, we studied the extent to which ecological system diversities and important conservation areas are represented by the existing 96 PAs. Our results indicated that the total coverage of vegetation communities in PAs in Northwest China is not sufficiently comprehensive. As the PA system has expanded, the growth in the total area of the PAs has been greater than that of their vegetation community richness. While most of the important conservation areas are covered by PAs, some regions have not yet reached the 10% threshold; further, PAs are distributed unevenly and conservation gaps remain in the region. Therefore, these regions should receive more attention when planning new PAs. It is vital that more biodiversity datasets and assessment of ecosystem function regions are integrated in order to provide a basis for the government to formulate appropriate protection and development strategies.

ЛАНДШАФТНЫЕ ОСОБЕННОСТИ АНТРОПОГЕННОЙ ТРАНСФОРМАЦИИ ПРИРОДНОЙ СРЕДЫ БРЕСТСКОЙ ОБЛАСТИ

This paper analyzes the patterns of anthropogenic transformation of landscapes in the Brest region, as measured by value indicators such as forest cover (and geo-ecological coefficient based on it), the density of rural population, the share of residential landscapes. Correlation between nature properties of landscapes underlying their classification, and these indicators was detected. It was found that the genera of landscapes, which represent the maximum disturbance, are secondary-moraine and moraine-outwash landscapes, the subgenera of landscapes are with a cover and a discontinuous cover of glacial sandy loams. The least disturbance is distinctive for secondary water-glacial and alluvial terraced landscapes and among genera – with superficial cover of water-glacial sands and with superficial bedding of peat and sand. The necessity of protected areas network optimization is shown. The results showed a significant imbalance between the ecological condition of the landscape which belong to certain classification groups and their representation in the protected areas system of the region. Landscapes with the worst ecological situation, as a rule, occupy a small proportion among all landscapes of protected areas. This case does not allow carrying out fully the tasks of protection and restoration of the diversity of ecosystems of the region. Among genera share of protected areas is much greater than the share of the region generally occupy wetland and floodplain landscapes. Moraine-outwash landscapes, characterized by a critical environmental condition are not represented in the protected areas system. Among subgenera areas in protected territories are far larger than in the region are characterized for landscapes with superficial stratification of peat and sand, considerably smaller – for landscapes with a cover of water-glacial sandy loams and loams, ecological condition of which is estimated as critical. Thus, the existing network of protected areas in Brest region needs to be optimized be including those genera and subgenera of landscapes, which are characterized by the worst environmental condition and restore these areas to natural communities.

OVERPOPULATION OF VICUNAS IN PROTECTED AREAS: Alternative or disadvantage for the tourist sustainability of moors

Ponte Academic JournalOct 2017, Volume 73, Issue 10 OVERPOPULATION OF VICUNAS IN PROTECTED AREAS: Alternative or disadvantage for the tourist sustainability of moorsAuthor(s): Raul Tamayo Soria ,Maria Fernanda Viteri, Diana E. Paez Q., Cristina Paez Quinde, Alicia Porras Angulo, Ruth Infante ParedesJ. Ponte - Oct 2017 - Volume 73 - Issue 10 doi: 10.21506/j.ponte.2017.10.42 Abstract:The current project is based on the necessities of the environment in the social environmental line, the Environment Ministry (MAE) as well as the national system of protected areas (SNAP) regulatory bodies in which the impact study of conservation management of reintroduced species inside the fauna production reserve of Chimborazo. This is a feasible project due to the problematic that it possesses and the importance of saving the moors ecosystem as well as the species that live in it not losing the sustainable tourist potential that the protected areas have in Ecuador. Through a study of environmental impact with a transect tool it is possible to measure the overpopulation of the camelid and make a management brochure with benefits for the communities to improve not only a sustainable tourism as the caring of the species but also domesticate this species which is the only one of the camelids family that has not been domesticated for a major benefit and a social environmental benefit too. Download full text:Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution Username Password

Social exchange and structuralist-constructivism approaches for enhanced ecotourism and food security in wildlife-agrarian mosaic landscapes: insights from eastern Zambia

Adaptive capacities of local communities and other stakeholders such as wildlife managers and tour operators to counteract environmental stressors such as poaching and over-hunting that affect the quality of ecotourism in the African protected area systems are rarely studied. We investigated local structures such as informal and formal rules, norms, challenges and institutional organs that govern community operations in the context of social-ecological systems, and how strategies rooting from the theoretical constructs would help confront conflicts associated with contemporary ecotourism. Systemic appraisals by use of semi-structured questionnaires were employed and administered to 131 respondents, with the help of trained field assistants. The study revealed that poverty and weak institutional governance in ever-growing human-population landscapes underlie escalation of the conflicting multiple land uses and degrade the ecotourism potential. Low levels of social capital networking and cohesions, reflecting fallible local social exchange, constrained local adaptive capacities for ecotourism.

Social exchange and structuralist-constructivism approaches for enhanced ecotourism and food security in wildlife-agrarian mosaic landscapes: insights from eastern Zambia

Adaptive capacities of local communities and other stakeholders such as wildlife managers and tour operators to counteract environmental stressors such as poaching and over-hunting that affect the quality of ecotourism in the African protected area systems are rarely studied. We investigated local structures such as informal and formal rules, norms, challenges and institutional organs that govern community operations in the context of social-ecological systems, and how strategies rooting from the theoretical constructs would help confront conflicts associated with contemporary ecotourism. Systemic appraisals by use of semi-structured questionnaires were employed and administered to 131 respondents, with the help of trained field assistants. The study revealed that poverty and weak institutional governance in ever-growing human-population landscapes underlie escalation of the conflicting multiple land uses and degrade the ecotourism potential. Low levels of social capital networking and cohesions, reflecting fallible local social exchange, constrained local adaptive capacities for ecotourism.

Política pública para la gestión integral del recurso hídrico en Quindío-Risaralda 2008-2015

La vulnerabilidad hídrica presentada por los cambios del clima es aumentada por la debilidad de los tomadores de decisiones y la pasividad de los ciudadanos; de aquí la importancia de las acciones derivadas de la política pública en cuanto al manejo del recurso hídrico. Con un enfoque metodológico cualitativo que involucrara aspectos exploratorios (estudio de caso, grupos focales, entrevistas semi-estructuradas y técnicas de observación), se identificaron las acciones de política pública en el manejo del recurso hídrico en los departamentos de Quindío y Risaralda (Colombia) para el periodo 2008-2015, entre las cuales se encuentran la adquisición y reforestación de áreas estratégicas para la conservación del recurso; establecimiento de los Sistemas Municipales de Áreas Protegidas SIMAP; campañas frente al uso racional y ahorro del agua; y acciones de limpieza y recuperación de fuentes hídricas. No obstante, estas acciones son insuficientes, debido a las múltiples problemáticas, como la presión generada por el crecimiento poblacional, el crecimiento urbanístico y las actividades económicas que afectan las franjas de protección de las cuencas hídricas y rondas de los nacimientos, demostrándose así las debilidades frente al manejo del recurso hídrico, por lo que es imperante la necesidad de que se fortalezcan las acciones tendientes a responder a esta problemática, lo anterior a partir de la actualización de los instrumentos de ordenamiento territorial, y que los planes de desarrollo municipal y departamental incluyan las determinantes ambientales suministradas por las Autoridades Ambientales, las cuales a su vez deberán aumentar su presencia en aras de cumplir con sus funciones misionales.