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If #3 > Bahía de Caraquez
A Model Law for Eco-Municipalities
In February, 1999, Peter Berg, Director
of the San Francisco-based Planet Drum Foundation, traveled
to Bahía de Caraquez in Ecuador, on an invitation to
collaborate in discussions about the future of the human and
natural environment of the area, which had been ravaged by
natural calamities over the past several years. Out of these
meetings came the following by-law declaring Bahía
de Caraquez an Eco-City.
Declaration of The Very Illustrious Municipal Council of
Sucre County:
In exercise of the faculty given by the Law of Municipalities
on title II: by the Municipal Government Chapter VII:
Of the Deciding Acts of the Council, Articles 126,127, 128
and 129:
Considering That:
There have been enacted several National Laws, Institutional
Norms and Municipal By-Laws geared to the protection and management
of natural resources of the area…
THAT Government and Non-Government agencies in addition to
several companies are developing several projects which
are strictly ecological, some of which are already working
and are pioneers in their field, regionally and nationally,
that is:
-
Organic and Inorganic Matter Recycling
at the Bahía de Caraquez Market Center.
-
Eco-paper workshop, handmade recycling
of paper.
-
Organic Farm and Environmentalist School
in Río Muchacho.
-
Agro-ecological Project at Encarnación.
-
Ecological Tourist Circuits: Dry Tropical
Forest, Caves, Archaeology, Mangroves and Wetlands.
-
Homeless Ecological Subdivision.
-
Environmental Interpretation Center of
the Estuary.
-
Mangrove ecopaths on Heart Island.
THAT Bahía urban area has been gravely altered in
its soil structure by the “El Niño” phenomenon,
increasing the weakening of vegetal layers already affected
by the existence of agricultural and urban borders.
THAT there is a study and diagnosis of the watershed and hydrographic
contributions to the Chone River estuary and the hillsides
of the Bahía urban area, which recommends a special
treatment including the surrounding forest zone, that concludes
in the formation of a protecting forest corridor.
THAT the Sucre County Municipality has begun an urban reforestation
plan which includes a high vegetation level for parks, sidewalks
and parterres.
THAT there exists an evolving process of environmental awareness
of the city’s inhabitants and an increasing level of
participation and community self-planning for sustainable
management, all of which leads to proposing this long term
development for the benefit of the resident population.
Resolves
To issue the following Declaration of Bahía de Caraquez
“Ciudad Ecológica” (Ecological City)
By-Law:
Art.1 To declare Bahía de Caraquez an Ecological
City so that its evolution is within a new order of shared
responsibility for development towards the third millennium.
Art.2 To create an Environmental Affairs Municipal
Department to coordinate all management, including continuous
environmental learning for all personnel and allocate budget
allowances to sustain this work in the long term.
Art.3 To strengthen the citizens awareness campaign
with public and private participation, in order to create
an environmental culture to be in accordance with the Sucre
County general development and sustainability plans.
Art.4 To declare as a reserve zone the ecological formation
of the dry tropical forest, within the Bahía urban
area in order to regulate its use and thus preserve its already
existing biodiversity.
Art.5 To promote the integral development of Bahía
de Caraquez and its zone of influence relating to the economic
and industrial areas by creating an Industrial Park in the
Las Coronas area, between Kilometro 8 of the Bahía
Chone Highway and San Clemente in an area of influence to
Punta Bellaca Port, with characteristics of a breakwater pier;
Bahía San Vicente bridge, amongst other projects.
Art.6 To elaborate one or more sets of ordinances to
implement a new social process, assigning technical people
and budget allowances to maintain efficient operation for
the management systems of urban settlements such as land zoning,
sewage waters, solid refuse and construction projects to develop
Sucre County.
Given and signed in the Council Chamber of the Illustrious
County of Sucre Council, this twenty third day of February
of nineteen hundred ninety-nine.
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