Every August 24th
according to the World Ecological Calendar we celebrate
the International Day of National Parks. In this day we commemorate the
importance that the conservation of all species have in
nature. The diversity, of the flora and fauna of our territories, requires a
special care from all the people around the world. National Parks on every
continent and within every environment are
responsible for the preservation of land, animals, and habitats. This day pretends to make people reflect on how vital and necessary are national parks in
the world, but at the same time to make people respect and value these places,
keeping in mind that if they are in some kind of danger the planet will have desvastating consequences for all
the living things. For these reasons, taking care of the nature is essencial for our life and survival.
A National Park is into a category of a
protected area that has a determined legal status that allows to protect and
conserve its biodiversity. These places are most often formed when the government
identifies an area of land rich in national history, rich in biodiversity, and
environmentally important. The requirements that
governments demand to park rangers or people in charge of connservation of
natural environments to make a park or a forest to be consindered as Natural
Parks are the following:
a. The
place needs to have a wide space of land and bodies of water.
b. It
needs to have a minimun or no intervention from people.
c.
The status of the areas that belong to the park or
forests should be in excellent
conservation conditions.
Positive Aspects Of National Parks
Studies show that spending time in nature is good for our
physical and mental health. Nature encourages physical activity, recreation and
tranquility. National parks provide people with natural spaces to visit and
connect with nature. They contain forested areas that not only protect water
sources, but also help stabilize the surrounding land. This can save lives and
infrastructure by preventing landslides, avalanches and erosion. These areas
also reduce floods by keeping natural river basins intact and preserving
wetlands. These places also help to the economy of small rural communities or
indigenous people who used to or continue to live in these areas through the
visits of different people from the country or tourists from other places.
National Parks in Ecuador
Ecuador is the
second place in Latin America with a big territory which focuses on the
protection and conservation of its ecosystems. A twenty percent of our
territory is protected. Ecuador has nearly thirty national parks with a variety
of ecosystems that people can visit and explore with the guidance of park
rangers. The most visited National Parks in Ecuador are: Cajas National Park,
Cayambe Coca National Park, Cotopaxi National Park, Machalilla National Park,
Podocarpus National Park, The Galapagos Islands, Yasuni National Park, Sangay
National Park, etc. All of these amazing places offer us an unique experience
and the opportunity to learn the importance of nature.
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