The Siguatepeque Wetland Ecosystem, its extinction, and the impact on the city facing climatic events

Abstract

Due to its geological formation, the Siguatepeque high plateau gave rise millions of years ago to a wetland ecosystem locally known as “ciénagas,”. These ecosystems are wetlands that occur between 1,000 and 1,400 masl, and performed key ecological functions contributing to a range of ecosystem services, including groundwater recharge through natural filtration, flood attenuation, and the maintenance of local microclimates and hydrological cycling recovery via fog condensation. However, since the establishment of Siguatepeque in 1689, urban growth and the construction of infrastructure progressively reduced the extent of the wetlands from 4,016 to 254 ha, resulting in the loss of both area and ecological functions. As a consequence, over the last two decades Siguatepeque has become increasingly vulnerable to flooding during the rainy season and to groundwater scarcity during the dry season. The restoration of these wetlands is considered irreversible, as their former areas have been replaced by residential developments, roads, and landfills used as construction sites. The municipality requires effective enforcement of territorial planning regulations and the implementation of environmentally responsible construction policies. Such measures would help to mitigate the occurrence of extreme events to which the city is currently exposed, safeguarding infrastructure and, above all, the lives of residents living in the most flood-prone areas, where impacts during the rainy season are expected to intensify.