Few studies exist that document how high-elevation Andean ecosystems recover naturally after the cessation of human activities and this can limit the implementation of cost-effective restoration actions. We assessed Andean forest (Polylepis stands) and páramo grassland recovery along an elevation gradient (3,600–4,350 m.a.s.l.) in the Yanacocha Reserve (Ecuador) where natural …
In Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru, initiatives have been taken recently that raise hopes that mechanisms might be created to stop the further privatisation of knowledge and life. So far, progress has been disappointing, with fundamental problems remaining unsolved. Once again, it is up to local people to defend knowledge and …
Ecuador has based its economy on the extraction of natural resources. This process has arbitrarily used, abused and polluted the environment, and established an economic model characterised by external dependence, growth in internal and external debt, and the destruction of ecosystems. The recent introduction of the Ecuadorian Mining Law inaugurated …
The Amazon River accounts for one-fifth of the world's freshwater flow, and its floodplain is home to 60% of the world's remaining tropical rainforests. The basin's diverse ecosystems support an unparalleled array of biodiversity, and provide home to tens of thousands of indigenous people. Yet the Brazilian government sees the …
Marginalized urban communities living in informal settlements or on fragile hillsides and slopes in Quito, Ecuador, are the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, as they are highly exposed to frequent floods and landslides, droughts, food scarcity and uncertain food supply chains. This is particularly true as many …
Whale sharks are a declining species for which little biological data is available. While these animals are protected in many parts of their range, they are fished legally and illegally in some countries. Baseline biological and ecological data are needed to allow the formulation of an effective conservation plan for …
The potential impact of the global financial crisis of 2008 on living standards in the developing world has given renewed emphasis to the importance of social safety net programs. The right policies can be a smart investment in an uncertain world. This report reviews the evidence on conditional cash transfers …
This is the second volume in the new series on the Values of Protected Landscapes and Seascapes produced by the Protected Landscapes Task Force of IUCN
The aim of this study was to explore the role of initial source water conditions as well as household factors in determining household water quality, and how levels of contamination of drinking water change over time, in a rural setting in northern coastal Ecuador.
QUITO: President Rafael Correa of Ecuador says he plans to meet with officials and lawyers from Chevron on behalf of 30,000 jungle residents who are suing the U.S. oil giant for up to $16 billion over environmental damage. Peasants and Indians are suing Chevron in an Ecuadorean court over charges …
The western Amazon is the most biologically rich part of the Amazon basin and is home to a great diversity of indigenous ethnic groups, including some of the world's last uncontacted peoples living in voluntary isolation. Unlike the eastern Brazilian Amazon, it is still a largely intact ecosystem. Underlying this …
Integrating cover crops and green manures helps farmers rehabilitate degraded soils in highland areas. In Ecuador, farmers experimented with this conservation practice. They found that it improved their farming system in many ways: increased productivity in their main crop, decreased weeding time, provided them with an extra crop (for food, …
The city of Bogota, Columbia, is famous for its BRT project. This is one of the first successful BRT models, and the Delhi BRT is based on it. The BRT system in Bogota, TransMilenio, carries over 1,050,000 passengers daily. The first phase of the system became operational in 2000 and …
Few payment for environmental services (PES) schemes in developing countries operate outside of the central state's umbrella, and are at the same time old enough to allow for a meaningful evaluation. Ecuador has two such decentralised, consolidated experiences: the five-year old Pimampiro municipal watershed-protection scheme and the twelve-year old PROFAFOR …
Extreme cold, ice and snow in 20 provinces of southern China since January have damaged crops of rapeseed, vegetables and fruits, along with some 190,000 hectares (ha) of winter wheat. 150,000 ha of rice fields were destroyed by a cold spell in Vietnam. Intensification of seasonal rains in Ecuador caused …
The Peruvian government has allowed two oil companies to explore oil in remote parts of the Amazonian forests inhabited by uncontacted tribes. The decision comes after a Peruvian government spokesperson suggested these tribes do not exist, claiming there was "no firm proof' of their existence. The move is despite the …
This paper, together with five other background studies, is a part of a broader research programme addressing trade and structural adjustment issues in non-member economies which was conducted as a follow-up to Trade and Structural Adjustment: Embracing Globalisation (OECD, 2005)which identified policies for successful trade-related structural adjustment. This paper revisits …
Ecuadorean president Rafael Correa declared a state of emergency in an Amazonian province on November 30 to quell protests that have slashed the nation's oil output by 20 per cent. Demanding that the government spend more revenue from oil on infrastructure projects in their oil-rich province, Orellana, demonstrators blocked roads …
The tussle on the Colombia-Ecuador border over the spraying of herbicide by Colombia has taken a new turn. The spraying, done to eradicate coca plantations, had driven many Colombians to take shelter in Ecuador to avoid being caught in a crossfire between the government's coca eradication efforts
