Reappraising Paramos and Mountain Ecosystems

From 12-14 July the First International Congress on Paramos and Mountain Ecosystems was held in Bogota (Columbia), with the aim of conserving the paramo ecosystems, and promoting and consolidating sustainable development alternatives for peasant farmers and indigenous peoples, in order to  establish alternatives for managing these strategic ecosystems.

In the framework of the Mountains Week, the International Congress on Paramos and Mountain Ecosystems was held, an event which was attended by over 500 representatives from civil society, academia, international cooperation, Latin American peasant farmer and indigenous communities,  ministers, deputy ministers, ambassadors and high-ranking officials from Peru, Columbia, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador and  Costa Rica. They gathered together to contribute to the dialogue and analysis of the strategic importance of the paramos and the mountain ecosystems in the Andean region, and the pressing problems they face, with the aim of laying the foundations for formalising strategic alliances, geared to the comprehensive management of the mountain lands in a context of climate change. In addition, through video streaming reproducing the event live, 24,000 people were able to be connected, as we could see.

During the three days of the congress, goals and actions were identified for themes such as productive systems, economic alternatives on and beyond the paramo, land use and environmental, cultural and ancestral education. We invite you to learn more about the Paramos and Mountain Ecosystems, through the presentations and experiences shared in the Congress, in the following videos (only in spanish).

First Day			See all videos
Luis Gilberto Murillo, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Columbia	Kurt Kunz, Swiss Ambassador in Columbia	Maria Argüello, Director CONDESAN, Ecuador	Jorge Emilio Rey, Governor of Cundinamarca, Columbia
Second day First block			See all videos
Bert de Bievre, technical secretary, Fund for the protection of water, Ecuador	Francisco Cuesta, coordinator Biodiversity Area, Condesan Ecuador	Manuel Peralvo, coordinator Livelihoods Area, Andean Forests	Discussion panel first block
Second day Second block			See all videos
Randy Muñoz, Glaciers Project, Peru, SDC	Lenkiza Angulo, PACC Project, Peru, SDC	Angela Andrade, Chair Commission Ecosystems Management, UICN	Discussion panel second block
Third day			See all videos
High level panel	Call to Action	Roberto Quiñones, Ecuadorean Embassy in Columbia	Signing of environmental cooperation agreement between Peru and Columbia

See picture gallery in the following link: siguiente enlace.

Source: Columbian Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development