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The Guandera Biological Reserve,
in northern
Ecuador
Ann-Sofie
Wernersson & Astrid Nuñez,
Barnens Regnskog (Childrens Rainforest)
2001 Report to the Swedish International Development and Cooperation Agency, SIDA, and
Forum Syd.
SUMMARY
Guandera is a biological reserve in the Carchi province in northern Ecuador,
protecting 1000 ha of páramo de frailejones and evergreen high-mountain
forest (of which only 2-4 % remains in the whole country). Considering
the altitude at which the reserve is located (3100-3800 meters above
sea level), biodiversity is unusually high. More than 60 orchid species
have been identified and the percentage of endemism is high. Also
many endangered species like the spectacle bear, Andean tapir and
puma have been observed within the reserve. The páramo works as a
“sponge” releasing the absorbed rainwater and slowly providing the
forest and communities below with a constant supply of water.
There are two buildings within the reserve housing staff and visitors
(about 20 people can be accommodated simultaneously). The organization
also has an office in the nearby village of Mariscal Sucre. Currently
6 persons work at the Guandera station and about 30 volunteers
arrive at the station each year. Traditionally large mono-cultures
of potatoes, using large amounts of pesticides, have been prevalent
in the area. However, today nearby farms are cooperating with the
reserve, in developing organic and semi-organic culture with higher
species diversity.
The reserve is also cooperating with several of the surrounding communities, corresponding to some 15 000-20 000 people, and environmental education is provided to local high school students. Finally, a local ecological club has been founded by one of the staff-members. One of the tasks undertaken by this club has been to assess the environmental status of local streams.
Fig. 1. Neighbour farmers applying organic techniques.
RESÙMEN
Guandera es una reserva natural situada en la
provincia de Carchi en el norte del Ecuador que protége 1000 hetáreas
de bosque tropical de alta montaña y páramos de frailejones. Cabe
anotar que actualmente queda menos del 4% de bosque tropical de alta
montaña en todo el país. A pesar de la altitud de la reserva, 3100
- 3800 metros sobre el nivel del mar, su biodiversidad es alta y el
porcentaje de endemismo elevado. Las 60 especies de orquídeas encontradas
en la región hablan de su riqueza natural. Sin embargo, especies como el oso de anteojos
y el puma están en peligro de desaparecer de la zona. Dentro de las
funciones del páramo esta la de retener agua para luego proveer continuamente
a los bosques y comunidades circundantes con el recurso. Actualmente trabajan 7 personas de forma permanente
en la reserva. Adicionalmente cada año cerca de 30 voluntarios, que
normalmente se quedan uno o dos meses, colaboran en las diferentes
actividades de la reserva. Dos cabañas, que albergan a empleados y
visitantes, y una oficina en el pueblo Mariscal Sucre, hacen parte
de la infraestructura de la organización. Actualmente se trabaja con los agricultores para
disminuir el uso de pesticídas en los grandes monocultivos de papa
(patata), que tradicionalmente han prevalecido en la zona. De igual
forma se trabaja con 8 comunidades cercanas, que congregan entre 15000
y 20000 personas, impartiendo clases de educación medio ambiental
e inglés a estudiantes de secundaria. Finalmente, un club ecológico,
fundado por uno de los empleados de la fundación, lleva a cabo diferentes
proyectos, dentro de los que se cuenta el control de las corrientes
de agua de la región. SAMMANFATTNING
Guandera är ett biologiskt reservat, beläget i Carchi provinsen
i norra Ecuador, som skyddar 1000 hektar bergsregnskog och “páramo
de frailejones”. Av den förra återstår idag mindre än 4 % i hela landet.
Med tanke på att reservatet befinner sig på 3100-3800 meters höjd
måste områdets biodiversitet anses vara mycket hög. Till exempel har
över 60 olika arter orkidéer identifierats och graden av endemism
är stor. Man har även funnit många utrotningshotade arter som t ex
glasögonbjörn och puma i området. Páramon har en mycket viktig funktion
då denna kan liknas vid en svamp som suger åt sig regnvatten för att
sedan sakta låta detta rinna ner till andra ekosystem och samhällen.
Två byggnader är belägna inne i reservatet. I dessa bor
anställda och upp till 20 besökare kan tas emot samtidigt. Organisationen
har också en kontorslokal i den närliggande byn Mariscal Sucre. För
nuvarande jobbar 7 personer i reservatet. Varje år kommer även ett
trettiotal volontärer som stannar en till två månader och deltar i
de olika projekten. Traditionellt har stora monokulturer med potatis dominerat
området. Idag jobbar man dock tillsammans med lokala bönder för att
minska användandet av pesticider och öka antalet arter som odlas.
Man arbetar också med ett antal närliggande samhällen (med ett sammanlagt
invånarantal på 15 000-20 000). Man undervisar skolungdomar i miljökunskap
och engelska. Slutligen har en ekologiklubb bildats
av en av organisationens anställda. En av uppgifterna denna har tagit
på sig är att kontrollera lokala vattendrags miljöstatus. The
Carchi province
The Guandera reserve (3100-3800 m above sea level) is located in the northern
Ecuador in the Carchi province, 11 km east of San Gabriel and 4 km
from the nearest village, Mariscal Sucre. Most households in the surrounding
communities have electricity and running water and the educational
level among the young people is also comparatively high. The soil
is very rich due to its volcanic origin and the main income source
is agriculture, primarily potato production. However, agriculture
practices largely consist of mono-cultures (one species of potato
is grown) to which large amounts of pesticides are applied. Ecology
The Guandera biological station was founded in 1994, protecting 1000 ha
of “evergreen high-mountain forest” (35%) and “páramo de frailejones”
(65%). The latter is one of about ten different types of páramo present
in Ecuador. This type basically only exists in the Carchi province
(tot 25 000 ha) and has its name from the plant with the same name,
fig 2. Fig. 2. Páramo de frailejones.
In the whole country there is only about 2-4 % of the primary evergreen
high-mountain forest left. Annual precipitation in the forest is about
1 m but the evapo-transpiration is low due to the low temperature.
The trees in the Guandera forest are unusually tall for this altitude
(3100-3600 m), some reaching 30 m in height. The tree line is probably
the highest in the world. The biodiversity of e
g orchids and humming birds is also unusually high for this altitude.
More than 60 tree species have been identified, with a high endemic
percentage (such as Brunelia pauciflora). The Guandera tree
(giving the reserve its name) primarily grows in this part of the
country and is very common in the reserve, fig 3. The reserve has
a rich wildlife, including many threatened species, such as the spectacle
bear, the andean cat, tucans, parrots and andean tapirs. More than
160 bird species have been observed within the reserve (of these approximately
20% are endemic, probably a world record at this altitude).
Fig 3. Guandera tree. The páramo works as a sponge, absorbing rain water and releasing it slowly,
thus providing the forest with water during dry periods but also acting
as a water resource for the communities below, fig 4. Fig 4. Drinking water to Mariscal Sucre.
Unfortunately, many locals believe that burning the páramo will induce
rainfall. And since the last year has received low amounts of rain
[1]
, threatening the livelihood of the farmers, burning
is today commonly induced on purpose, fig 5. The whole region is dryer
than normal and fires can have disastrous effects. In October 2001
an area of about 1000 ha of páramo was burnt down rapidly. Other reasons
for burning include providing l Fig 5. Fires are frequently induced on purpose,
threatening the páramo.
About 20% of the forest inside the Guandera reserve is secondary, due
to charcoal production some 30 years ago. However, except at a few
sites (where actual burning took place) reforestation occurs naturally,
although growth is slow at this altitude. Facilities and staff There are two buildings within the reserve, housing staff and visitors,
and also functioning as a workplace and for drying of seeds. In total
about 20 visitors can be accommodated simultaneously.
The buildings are in Andean style (“tapia”, mud mixed with
straw and parallel wooden bars) and equipped with electricity and
water closets. The organization also has an office in Mariscal Sucre
(4 km away). It is used for different community activities, such as
environmental education and meetings, and by a local ecology club
called “defensores de la Naturaleza”, coordinated by Marlon Nuñez,
who is also working at the reserve. There are presently 7 persons working at the Guandera station, including
director Christopher James, administrator Marlon Nuñez, a park guard
(José Cando) and kitchen staff (also involved in different projects).
Also working at the station are Lincon Montenegro (who is managing
the greenhouse and production of plants for reforestation) and Antonio
Rosero (who is working with the seed bank project, as well as being
half time employed by the national páramo project). Marlon Nunez heads
an environmental education program and José Cando maintains the water
system, trails and helps out in the seed project. All staff members
are involved in the volunteer program and give talks now and then
about different issues (such as ecology, Ecuadorian food, “Plan Colombia”
[2]
). The number of volunteers present at the station
varies with the season but is on average about 4. Most work for a
month, including 8 days off. The volunteers pay their own costs and
a part of this money is incorporated in the funding of projects and
land purchases. The volunteers are involved in the different projects,
depending on their individual abilities (such as Spanish knowledge).
Fig. 6. Volunteers at work.
C.
Activities and projects
I. Natural Reserve and research
The Guandera reserve comprises unique biotopes that deserve to be protected
in their own rights. Less than 4% of this forest type is left in the
country, the biodiversity is unusually high and the area is an important
bear habitat. Research projects include classification and listing
of birds, reptiles, and plants, soil studies, pollen studies (historic
records), investigating self -pollination of orchid species and phenology
studies. In connection with the seed bank project, different processes
that could shorten the germination time are also investigated. II. Seed bank, reforestation and agriculture
The station has a plant school for both inner and outer production, using
seeds from the reserve’s own primary forest. Within the reserve only
a few areas had to be replanted (where charcoal burning had been performed).
At the moment, seeds are provided for reforestation projects near
Quito, and the province of Carchi has also asked for help. A seed
bank and plant conservation center for high altitude plants is being
developed. In the future, one goal would be to establish a forest
corridor between Guandera and the Coca-Cayambe ecological reserve.
Increased protection is primarily needed of the mountain forest and
the páramo in the south where more people live, not necessarily involving
extensive land purchases but other means of protection.
Organic agriculture production within the reserve includes several species
of root vegetables. The manure from andean guinea pigs (“cuy”) are
used to fertilize the soil, fig 7. Two farms are also cooperating
with the reserve in developing organic and semi-organic (using less
pesticides than usual) culture with more crop diversity. Growing more
than thirty potato varieties in the same plot, production increased
although only a tenth of the usual amounts of pesticides are being
applied. Staff from the reserve is helping out with the marketing
of organic crops, and one of the farmers had a mobile exhibition of
organic vegetables and fruits in a local festival, receiving a special
award. Semi-/organic agriculture is not only important for ecological
reasons. It is also a health issue in this region where gastrointestinal
cancer rates are high, in part suspected to be due to the large amounts
of pesticides used.
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