The Arraiján Mayor’s Office published two decrees regulating the use of Cerro Cabra and the protection of its water resources. Mayoral Decrees No. 012-2026 and No. 013-2026, both dated September 29, 2026, appear in Official Gazette No. 30637 C of October 19, 2026. Their provisions are relevant to visitors, neighboring residents and proponents of activities within the regulated area.

The first formally creates Cerro Cabra Municipal Park and adopts a use and care manual; the second establishes the Municipal Protected Water Reserve and a manual aimed at preserving water sources and recharge areas. Both describe an area of 468 hectares. This is not the hill’s first protection: the recitals refer to Agreement No. 24 of April 5, 2012, which had already designated it a protected area.

The zoning distinguishes restricted protection areas, sectors for controlled public use and a buffer zone against urban expansion. The water protection framework reserves the most protected zones for regeneration, restoration and authorized research, without access for the general public. In designated areas, it allows low-impact hiking, birdwatching and environmental education through official access points and subject to the prescribed conditions.

The prohibitions have implications for real estate and extractive activities. Mayoral Decree No. 013-2026 prohibits new housing, commercial infrastructure and unauthorized occupation within the regulated area, as well as exploration for or extraction of quarry materials, diversion of watercourses and illegal wells. It also prohibits practices that threaten water sources, including discharges of untreated wastewater. Permitted tourism does not constitute general authorization to build commercial facilities.

The texts provide for administrative fines according to the severity of the infringement. The framework includes penalties from B/.100 to B/.500 for minor infringements and up to B/.100,000 for very serious ones, alongside other prescribed measures, such as demolition of illegal structures and referral to the Public Prosecutor’s Office. They also provide for environmental monitoring and community participation mechanisms; their inclusion in the rules does not establish that all these mechanisms are already operational.

Assessing neighboring land or projects requires checking their location against the applicable boundaries and zoning before assuming what activities may be carried out. Both decrees state that they take effect upon issuance, a date distinct from publication. The regulations establish use and protection rules, but do not establish the existence of individual permits or replace a review of the authorizations that must be obtained.

Research assisted by Sentinel, with editorial verification of official sources. Discover Legislat.ai