The Canadian ambassador to Peru, Ralph Jansen, accompanied the recovery and cleanup efforts being carried out by the National Service of Natural Protected Areas (SERNANP) in the areas affected by the oil spill of January 15. “Canada is proud to have joined the 'I Recover My Sea' campaign and hopes that others will join,‘ he stated.
Anton Willems, the executive director of Profonanpe – the Environmental Fund of Peru, highlighted the contribution of citizens and the private sector in these actions through the #RecuperoMiMar initiative, a campaign coordinated with various environmental and private organizations such as the Peruvian Society for Environmental Law, Conservamos por Naturaleza, Oceana, WWF Peru, SOA, ecOceánica, H2O Océanos and Lucha Startup Studio.
The activity took place at Pocitos Beach in the Ancón Reserved Zone, where the head of SERNANP, José Ramírez, announced the action plan that has been implemented for the past month to address this emergency. From the first day of the oil spill, personnel from this agency, which is part of the Ministry of the Environment, arrived at the affected protected natural areas and intervened on various fronts to address the emergency.
As part of the visit, the cleanup efforts in the Ancón Reserve Zone were highlighted. These efforts utilize specialized hydrocarbon recovery equipment, such as skimmers, which have allowed for the extraction of approximately 7,000 gallons of pure oil from the sea in Ancón Bay to date. A permanent team of 15 specialists and park rangers from SERNANP (National Service of Natural Protected Areas) works in shifts to minimize their exposure to the oil. Currently, Profonanpe (National Association of Natural Protected Areas) is working to acquire more skimmers to continue the cleanup operations.
The visit continued with an inspection of the rescue and recovery efforts for wildlife affected by this emergency, an action carried out daily and in coordination between SERNANP (National Service of Natural Protected Areas) and the National Forest and Wildlife Service (SERFOR). In the area of the Grupo Pescadores Islets within the National Reserve System of Islands, Islets, and Guano Points, approximately 70 guano birds have been rescued to date and transferred to SERFOR for veterinary care.
To address the immediate effects of the spill, Profonanpe established an emergency financing line of up to $100,000 and assigned its expert environmental remediation team to serve as a technical advisor to Sernanp.
The support of young volunteers from various universities in the capital is greatly appreciated, as they are actively supporting the monitoring of affected areas and the recovery of wildlife in the Ancón Reserved Zone.
Author: Sernanp
