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PEDRO MONCAYO - Local management of natural resources
In the county of Pedro Moncayo, in the northern sierra of Ecuador,
is situated el Cerro Mojanda, at 3980 metres above sea level. Some
know it for its lakes and its scenery, others care for it, as they
know that thanks to its valleys they are supplied with water.
Until only recently its forests were in danger of disappearance as a result
of forest fires, crop burning, the advance of agriculture and with
these, the slopes lost their water channels. The population and
its organizations had neglected to protect the paramos and valleys.
In 1998, the FBU together with the council and communities of Pedro
Moncayo, helped by the Swiss Ecuadorian Counterpart Fund, initiated
the project "Reforestation and Management of Micro Valleys".
In the course of action new figures became involved; the Minister for
Education and Culture, the colleges of Pedro Moncayo and Cayambe,
and other non governmental organizations (NGO's). This has generated
improved coordination between local institutions with the formation
of the Inter-institutional Committee to tackle other subjects, like
health, education, youth and the environment.
This effort in environmental management not only represented the start
of reforesting the micro valleys, but also signaled the beginning
of agroforestry practices on the land of the campesinos. An incentive
mechanism was agreed through which the campesinos can access forestal
and fruit trees for their land, provided they reforest a part of
the high Cerro Mojanda.
Reforestation generally takes place on a Saturday in the form of a "minga"
(group work), when more than a hundred community members and students
plant native trees like the Aliso, Quishuar, Yagual and Pumamaqui.
Besides planting, they learn forestry techniques in the tree nursery
at the hacienda Picalquí, attend motivating workshops and
then share their experiences with the community.
Achievements
• The Cerro Mojanda was declared Protected Forest, thanks to the joint
actions of those involved, a decision which now guarantees its protection.
• It has contributed to an important institutional development with
the creation of the Municipal Company for Drinking Water and the
Consortium of Water Management Committees, that now define policies
and actions to guarantee the quality of service for the whole population.
• By ordinance, the "Fund for the Protection of Micro Valleys"
was created which is financed by a percentage of the tariff charged
for water consumption; the FBU realized a study of conservation
policies, tariffs and methodologies used to define these orientations.
The fund will allow the formulation of a plan to manage the protected
forest, to extend the reforestation effort, to support gamekeepers
and to continue the environmental education.
• The establishment of two permanent tree nurseries in Guallaro Grande
and San José. In Picalquí there is a larger tree nursery
that functions as a training and investigative center for the reproduction
of native species.
• The Interinstitutional Committee works to propose and support actions
and observe the completion of the regulations and agreements established
with the council.
• The creation of a bi-county agreement between Pedro Moncayo and Otavalo
for the management of Mojanda.
The challenges :
• To motivate in the two counties the decision to begin similar plans
based on a proposed project methodology: community committees co-managed
with local government, incorporating students and other social figures.
• To elaborate the Plan of Management for the Protected Forest of Cerro
Mojanda.
• To improve the management of the Consortium of Water Management Committees.
·To deepen research into the forests and the reproduction of native
species in tree nurseries.
• To widen the environmental education program.
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