Government of Ecuador Takes Legal Action Against Private Company for Holding Event on Protected Beach

The Government of Ecuador announced on July 2 that it will take legal action against a private company that held a public musical event on a protected beach where sea turtles nest and are cared for.

The Ministry of the Environment reported in a statement that it will initiate an administrative procedure against the company for having failed to comply with the regulations included in the Organic Code of the Environment, which protects conservation areas.

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The event was denounced on July 1 after the installation of pallets and the presence of machinery on land in the Playas de Villamil area, in the coastal province of Guayas, very close to the care area for the turtles.

According to social networks, the show set up in the place would have included artistic presentations, fireworks and the significant presence of people.

In addition, activists had denounced that the site of the show was very close to the beach where the turtles usually nest and where attention is also provided to turtles that have arrived at that place with physical damage.

According to the Ministry, it was a “social event” organized “illegally” that resulted in “non-compliance with the rules of management, conservation and other tools for protected areas, which alters their functions and affects biodiversity.”

The start of the administrative sanction process will be undertaken “without prejudice to the corresponding criminal actions for the alleged commission of an environmental crime,” the source said.

The Ministry also clarified that the country’s constitutional order and internal regulations prohibit this ministry from issuing permits for this type of event within a protected area.

Finally, he urged citizens to “collaborate in the protection and conservation of the country’s natural heritage.”

The Ministry of the Environment has been carrying out a Sea Turtle Conservation Project since 2012, whose objective is to promote the survival and proper management of migratory species of sea turtles that nest on Ecuadorian beaches.

The authorities had warned at the beginning of the year of an increase in sea turtle births on some beaches, especially of the “olive ridley” (Lepidochelys olivacea) and “green” (Chelonia mydas) species.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the species of green sea turtle is in danger of extinction, while the olive ridley is classified as vulnerable.

2023-07-03 00:46:19
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