The event was organised by the Consortium for the Sustainable Development of the Andean Eco-region (CONDESAN), in the framework of the Bosques Andinos Program, in collaboration with the Cambugán Foundation, an Ecuadorian non-governmental organisation which works to contribute to the recovery and restoration of native ecosystems and local culture. Through this type of activity, the MCA can scale its work up to the new Chocó Andino de Pichincha Biosphere Reserve.
This activity is a response to the request of the community and the Cambugan Foundation, which are pleased with the work of the Chocó Andino Youth Network. The young people are trained in socio-environmental communication and sustainability, and have been holding internal and external communication events in which they gladly share with their communities the lessons learned and experience, which provide a deeper understanding of their lands.
The field trip included a visit to the Pahuma Reserve, where we learned how a local family, in cooperation with various civil society stakeholders, can contribute to the conservation of water sources and the extraordinary biological diversity present in the region.
The group travelled on to Bellavista, a community situated at 1200 meters above sea level in the south-western area of influence of the Paso Alto Protected Forest. It has a temperate climate and it is surrounded by farmland, the main crops are sugar cane, banana, cassava, maize, naranjilla and the remnants of primary and secondary forests.
The main activities during the visit were: a presentation by the young people of the MCA on the sustainability vision of the Andean Chocó; training events to teach the young people of the parish of San José de Minas to be birding guides; a local fair, where the communities offered their local dishes for visitors to try, and exchanged native seeds. After the fair, there was a small cultural festival where the host community performed a historical play about the arrival of the first settlers, and the community organisation that enabled them to build the school where the play was presented. The birding guides closed the event with a local dance and the whole community joined in.
The next day the birds were inventories along two line transects near the community. In addition, the group reviewed the species observed. The participants reached several cooperation agreements, including discussing experiences with the community of Jatumpamba, on the eastern side of the Cambugán Protected Forest in the Parish of San José de Minas, on June 15 and 16.
Wilson Mesa, a birding guide from the community of Bellavista, on the behalf of all his peers and the community expressed his sincere thanks to all visitors for the knowledge and experiences shared.
Bosques Andinos, iniciativa implementada en los países que forman parte del arco de la cordillera de los Andes, forma parte del Programa Global de Cambio Climático de la Agencia Suiza para el Desarrollo y la Cooperación (Cosude) y es facilitado por el consorcio Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation – Condesan.
Andean Forests is a project held in the countries in the Andean mountain range, and is part of the Global Climate Change Programme of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and is facilitated by the Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation consortium (Condesan).
Más información:
Andean Forests, fact sheet, Swiss Embassy, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC
Web Bosques Andinos
Web Andean Forests
