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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