Activities
Background
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Sangay National Park in south central Ecuador |
In May 1992, the Ministry of Agriculture and Ranching legally expanded Sangay National Park by 245,000 hectares to the south, nearly doubling its original size. The Park's new extent encompasses a region of páramos and tropical montane forests whose biological, hydrological, and cultural value is unparalleled. The southernmost part of this area, historically known as the Nudo del Azuay, overlaps the Tropical Andes hotspot, as well as commanding national importance because its watersheds feed Ecuador's largest hydroelectric dam. The region is also archaeologically rich with Cañari (Pre-Incan) and Incan sites.
In contrast with other national parks in Ecuador, Sangay's declaration of expansion explicitly recognized the legal rights of landholders whose titles predated the park's founding. As such, the southern zone of Sangay National Park supports a population of nearly 4,000 residents, at a population density of two inhabitants per square kilometer. These legal residents hold titles to nearly 40% of the southern zone of the park. This conflict between public and private lands urges innovative conservation strategies which recognize the trade-offs between conservation and cultivation on private lands.
Our work
The Nudo del Azuay is a region in transition from a
forested landscape toward a predominately agricultural one. The
exceptional biological, hydrological, and cultural value of this area--and its high level of threat--demands a conservation strategy that
works explicitly with local landowners to protect remaining forests and
páramos. Fundación Cordillera Tropical believes that conservation strategies on private lands will be critical to ensure long-term conservation of these natural resources. FCT aims to establish voluntary contracts between private landowners and downstream users of natural resources, wherein the landowner's work of protecting their property and its fauna from degradation, invasion, and/or hunting is recognized by an economic incentive.
Strategies to improve conservatino of private lands form the central axes of
FCT's work. Howe
ver, the results of individual conservation agreements rest on the
strength of a comprehensive regional environmental education program which aims to create a new generation of conservation-minded residents;
the implementation of
improved production techniques to
improve existing pastures, prevent further advancement of the
agricultural frontier, and minimize erosion; and providing communities
with
capacity-building tools to improve organization and
work on site-specific conservation initiatives. FCT also provides support for scientific research to understand, catalog, and ultimately conserve the immense biodiversity of the Nudo del Azuay.