The mountain range overlooking the most populated segment of Lake Chapala’s north shore has gained a hypothetical shield against human depredation under the “Cerro Viejo-Chupinaya-Los Sabinos” Natural Protected Area (ANP) decree formally enacted by the Jalisco government on May 18.
The new ANP stretches over 23,176 hectares of land located within the territorial boundaries of Chapala, Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos, Jocotepec and Tlajomulco de Zúñiga. Groundwork to obtain the designation has been underway for nearly a decade, beginning with in-depth scientific research and elaboration of lengthy background studies. A draft of the decree text made the rounds for public consultation in all four municipalities back in 2011, only to languish on governmental back burners until recent ratification by local officials.
The main objective of establishing the ANP is to ensure conservation and sustainable management of natural resources in a vast mountainous region that is both rich in biodiversity and vital to the hydrological systems of Lake Chapala and its smaller sister, the Laguna de Cajititlan. And while it all looks great on paper, skeptics are already wondering when, if ever, the government will cough up sufficient operating funds to achieve those noble goals, mirroring the overriding problem that has plagued the Sierra del Aguila and Nevado de Colima Forest conservation programs elsewhere in the state.
A major concern among wary lakeshore inhabitants is how municipal authorities will apply the protection act to put a check on urban sprawl that has increasingly encroached on upper elevations across the face of the Las Vigas-Chupinaya-Tecuan range bridging Chapala and Jocotepec.
Chapala Ecology Director Moctezuma Medina acknowledged that there are several residential and tourist complexes now under construction that partially fall within the ANP limits. “We cannot halt new developments that are already in process with valid permits, but we can try to convince developers to make these projects environmentally friendly and turn that into a key selling point.”
Suggestions would include utilization of solar power, restoring the land with green and wooded areas and creating a natural corridor with watering holes for deer, wild boar, armadillo, mountain cats and other wildlife.
Medina added that the designation also gives city planners some legal teeth to check future growth and prevent further devastation of native flora and fauna. Future administrations will not have the power to shrink the limits of the protected area. On the other hand, they could implement regulations to expand boundaries and encapsulate existing housing development within untouched natural surroundings.
Misconceptions
Medina clarified some common misconceptions about the protected area. First off, he noted that virtually all of the land in question is held in private hands. The majority is titled to ejido common landholders or indigenous groups. Smaller portions are owned outright by private parties. “Ownership doesn’t change under the decree. It doesn’t prohibit use of the land, but just modifies the rules of operation.“
Medina sees one of the major administrative tasks ahead will be to guide the ejido and indigenous landholders toward farming practices and productive activities that are environmentally sound. One of his own pet projects is the development of a well-planned eco-tourism hiking track following the existing route to the Tepalo waterfalls and Chupinaya ridge above Ajijic, to be managed by the Comunidad Indigena.
Sunny side
Medina pointed to a satellite view of the entire ANP to put everything in optimistic perspective. “When you look up at the mountains from the lakeshore it appears that buildings are sprouting up like crazy. From the air you can appreciate that all of the heavily development along the north shore is equivalent to less than 10 percent of the entire protected area. We’ve lost only a relatively tiny portion of our woodlands. It’s still a natural marvel.”