Even human waste disposed at a distance from pools can affect water chemistry and introduce organisms that have not previously been part of the pool ecosystem.

Invasive species — plants, insects, and microorganisms transported inadvertently by trekkers from lowland environments — represent a potential threat to the summit ecosystem.

The isolation that has made the tepui summit an evolutionary laboratory has also left its organisms without any experience of competing with or defending against species adapted to different conditions.

An aggressive lowland plant species or an efficient lowland predator, transported to the summit by a trekker’s boot mud, could potentially establish and spread in ways that disrupt the carefully balanced summit community.

The park authorities and Pemón guide organizations have implemented measures to address these concerns, including designated camping areas, trail routing that avoids the most sensitive zones, and (in principle) boot cleaning requirements to prevent the introduction of invasive species.