Through UNDP’s support, upon the celebration of the thirty sixth aniversary of te Limoncocha Biological Reserve, the Ministry of the Environment, Water and Ecological Transition (MAATE), the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), through PROAmazonía, delivered the printed documents for the Territorial Development and Management Plans (PDOT) of the Parish. Moreover, a symbolic plantation was carried out in the areas under forest restoration in the community of Yamamumka, an activity that is being developed in cooperation with HIVOS partner.

From PROAmazonía, a National Government program, the Limoncocha Parish Descentralized Autonomous Government (GADP) received the necessary support with the aim of updating its Territorial Development and Management Plan, including conservation, sustainable production, and climatic change, while focusing on gender and interculturality.

The president of the Limoncocha Provincial GAD, Iván Cerda, pointed out that the support received has been fundamental, while adding that nature’s protection approaches have been included in this document. Cerda, who is part of the Kichwa Amazonian nationality, also mentioned “For us climate change is nothing but more intensive rain, and a longer period without any rain and a lot of sun, causing crop losses and flooding, which we already faced, and having to somehow overcome these issues.”

Through the implementation of the PDOT, forest restoration, water source conservation, ecosystem functionality recovery, and the restoration of favorable conditions for natural processes in degraded areas is encouraged, within the framework of the parish government competencies.  This takes place at the cantonal and provincial coordination level, promoting resource optimization through associative management models.

Cerda pointed out that “Our PDOT includes forest restoration projects, as well as risk, disaster and adaptation and climate change mitigation training to promote the conservation and rational use of the surrounding biodiversity. We also have proposals for the fish farming sustainble incentive and for the improvement in the production of cofee, cacao, corn and other products.”

Photo: Communication Unit – PROAmazonía
Description: PDOT Delivery Event

In the same way, during the event,  a symbolic plantation was carried out in the territory of the Yamanunka Commune,  where the actions carried out bythe Environmenal Authority for the recovery and maintenance of the environmental services were disseminated. These actions are the result of the restoration processes led by the MAATE National Reforestation Program, with the support of PROAmazonía, UNDP and HIVOS Organization, with whom a project is being implemented for the restoration of 4.000 degraded ha, in Limoncocha (Sucumbíos), and Dayuma (Orellana) Parishes.

The event, developed in the Limoncocha Parish, Province of Sucumbíos, was attended by Sergio Torres, manager of the MAATE Socio Bosque Program; Mónica Andrade, UNDP’s coordinator of Environment and Energy; Patricia Serrano, PROAmazonía’s manager, Iván Cerda, president of the Limoncocha Provincial GAD; representantives of the Yamanunka Shuar Commune and the Limoncocha Biological Reserve, among other attendees.

Photo: Communication Unit – PROAmazonía
Description: Symbolic Plantation

KEY INFORMATION ON LIMONCOCHA:

Limoncocha is one of the oldest parishes in the province of Sucumbíos. It was founded on April 30, 1969, as a parish of the Orellana Canton, Province of Napo, by ministerial agreement No. 169 of the Ministry of the Interior, published in the Official Register No. 169 of April 30, 1969, during the Presidency of Dr. José María Velasco Ibarra.

From August 7, 1984 it was part of the Shushufindi Canton, which is part of the Province of Napo, and, since February 11, 1989, of the Province of Sucumbíos.

The Limoncocha Parish was named after the green waters of its lagoon, which is part of the Limoncocha Biological Reserve, which has an extension of 3,692.50 ha, almost 80% of the parish territory.

Limoncocha has the particularity of being constituted mostly by Ecuadorians belonging to the Kichwa and Shuar nationalities, being the mestizo population a minority group.

With the support of PROAmazonía, the GADP of Limoncocha updated the development and territorial mangement plan, through a participatory process, in which despite the health emergency situation that the country has experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was possible to work together with the presidents and leaders of the communities and the social and women’s organizations existing in the parish,  in addition to the application of different methodological procedures that allowed to have a diagnosis from the communities.

PROAmazonía supported the updating of the PDOT with technical inputs that contemplate approaches to interculturality, gender, conservation, sustainable production and climate change. Moreover, it delivered four public policy proposals that will serve to strengthen the objectives and programs foreseen in the PDOT of the GAP Limoncocha, in an effort that will last until 2022.

Authors:

• Patricio Saravia – PDOT PROAmazonía Technician of the Province of Sucumbíos
• PROAmazonía Communication Unit