In the Ponce Paluguillo Water Protection Area, on March 23 in the province of Pichincha, a visit by the country’s environmental authority was carried out, in commemoration of World Water Day, with the aim of highlighting the actions that are being carried out within the framework of the agreements signed between the Ministry of Environment and the Water Funds: Fonapa, Foragua and Fonag, in which PROAmazonía contributes with its financing and technical advice, to guarantee the conservation and restoration of ecosystems and their water sources.

The Ponce Paluguillo Water Protection Area is a water source that provides the vital liquid to the three million inhabitants of the Metropolitan District of Quito and its surroundings, and constitutes the first water protection zone declared in Ecuador since November 2018. Currently, it is under the administration of the Fund for the Protection of Water – FONAG.

This meeting highlighted the achievements made in the implementation framework of this inter-institutional agreement that began in 2017 and will be in force until mid-2022, through the shared management between FONAG and PROAmazonía; a program led by the MAAE and MAG with support from UNDP. The objectives that revolve around this agreement include: the recovery of ecosystems so that there is sufficient water of a quality suitable for consumption, the continuity of restoration projects focused on land use change, the reduction of deforestation and forest degradation, as well as the generation of sustainable livelihoods.

The event highlighted some of the main achievements of this agreement, among which are:

•     Establishment of community agreements for the conservation of 8,617 hectares in the areas of Oyacachi, Papallacta and El Carmen.
•     Restoration of 338.2 hectares through reforestation actions.
•     Construction of infrastructure for control and surveillance of protected areas.
•     Promotion of sustainable tourism activities and promotion of food sovereignty in different communities such as: El Tambo, Oyacachi, Papallacta.
•     Monitoring of ecosystem services, specifically water quality, carbon content, and restoration processes.
•     Training and equipping two brigades on fire prevention and control.
•     Production of educational and interactive material on the functions of forests that has been shared with the schools located in the area of incidence.
•     Promotion of activities that make women’s work visible in compliance with Environmental and Social Safeguards.

This visit was attended by the Minister of Environment and Water (MAAE) Marcelo Mata; the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program in Ecuador (UNDP) Matilde Mordt; the Technical Secretary of the Fund for Water Protection (FONAG) Bert de Biévre; and the Manager of PROAmazonía, Patricia Serrano.

Photographs: Martín Pastor

Description: Visit of authorities to the Ponce Paluguillo Water Protection Area

Author: Communication Unit of PROAmazonía