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In 1996, The
Nature Foundation (Fundación Natura) of Ecuador, the largest
environmentally concerned entity in the country, began working with
monetary support from the World Wildlife Fund - International (WWF)
and the Dutch government to survey and develop a plan to promote
sustainable natural resource development within
Sangay National
Park. This study made the group realize that the unprotected area
between Sangay and
Llanganates National Park, drained by the Pastaza
River, if disrupted, would have serious impacts on both parks. In
other word, the Pastaza River Valley might well be a natural
corridor, an important "biological dispersion zone" connecting the
parks and not, as some had previously assumed, a natural barrier to
dispersal.
Situated between
Sangay and Llanganates National Parks, between the settlements of
Río Verde and Shell, the Pastaza River Corridor is comprised of a
total of 41,517 hectares, 5,657 of which are cultivated or settled.
Sixty percent of the corridor is located within the canton of Baños,
in the province of Tungurahua, and forty percent of the corridor is
located within the canton of Mera, in the province of Pastaza.
The
investigation, which was conducted over the course of four years,
was carried out using established scientific protocols and indices
designed and implemented by qualified scientists and specialists
including ecologists, botanists, ornithologists, geneticists, and
social scientists. The investigation was principally biological in
focus, but extensive studies were also conducted into the social
aspects of the plan, as well.
Some of the
conclusions of the studies are as follows:
- The most diverse mammal group is bats which represents
55 of the 101 mammal species sampled, the most common being the
Carolina bat
- Twenty-one species of mammals present in the corridor
are considered to be at risk species
- Samples were taken of 242 species of birds belonging to
42 different families of which 5 are endemic and 3 threatened.
Thirty percent are considered highly sensitive to habitat
changes
- Las Estancias (Río Negro), Madre Tierra (Mera), and
Machay were determined to be the 3 most bio-diverse areas in the
corridor
- Genetic studies of "micro mammals" (including bats)
indicate that the Pastaza River is not a major barrier to
dispersal for these animals. Furthermore, many rodents in both
parks have close genetic affinities with southern (Peruvian) and
Amazonian species
- Through these studies the Pastaza River Valley was
determined to be a true biological corridor and not a barrier to
dispersal. Furthermore, the corridor was shown to have an even
higher level of biological diversity in some animal groups than
the parks themselves, which was a completed unexpected result.
After meeting
the specific criteria used by the World Wildlife Fund to designate
which areas should gain the status of "Gift to the Earth" (one of
the most important of which is the area's local people's willingness
and ability to properly develop and manage the protection programs
associated with the title, the Pastaza River Corridor was named a
"Gift to the Earth" by the World Wildlife Fund.
Once granted the
status, each "Gift to the Earth" becomes a designated "Endangered
Space" which is then promoted through the WWF web sites,
publications, and other forms of media, to solicit corporate and
private donations. These funds go directly to the designated local
management teams for use in executing their protection programs. No
money is filtered through governments.
Implementation,
management, and the ultimate success of these programs depend on
local people while at the same time involving, by necessity, local
governments (in this case the municipalities of Baños and Mera),
particularly to institute and enforce new environmental protection
laws.
As you might
have guessed, the application submitted by Fundación Natura for the
Pastaza River Corridor has been accepted. Notification of the
acceptance came in February of 2002. The official ceremony during
which the "Gift of the Earth" title was issued took place on July
2002.
This protection
program is a time-tested series of WWF-designed projects and ongoing
management systems that have proven themselves effective in areas of
the world similar to the Pastaza River Corridor. The success of
these programs hinges on the abilities, commitment, cooperation, and
involvement of local people, especially the inhabitants of the
designated areas themselves. The process begins with education via
media campaigns, and seminars, the building of informational
centers, the creation and enforcement of new laws, and hands-on
education and assistance programs to help local farmers better
utilize the area's natural resources thus promoting truly
sustainable development and conservation.
This is perhaps
the most exciting thing happening in Baños right now. The program,
if successful, has the potential to be a model, even THE model, for
the future of Ecuador, a small demonstration of how precious the
natural environment is and what can be done to preserve and develop
it in a non-destructive way for the benefit of everyone. |
