Representatives of Ecuador’s Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition and the Bioamazon Project discuss the potential for using Ecuador’s biodiversity.
In Ecuador there are more than 4,187 species of orchids, 1,707 of which are endemic to the country. Such diversity and beauty of the species attract the attention of orchid enthusiasts and collectors. The export of orchids from Ecuador reached USD 1,939,403,570 (FOB) in 2019.
To contribute to the conservation of orchid species and support sustainable businesses, Bioamazon Project is supporting Ecuador’s Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition with two studies: one for the development of the Action Plan for Orchid Conservation in Ecuador and another for the strengthening of the orchid value chain in the provinces of Napo, Morona Santiago and Zamora Chinchipe.
The latter includes a proposal to strengthen the management and ensure the conservation of these species, as well as to ensure sustainable use. Among the actions proposed are the creation of five orchid routes to encourage ecotourism, the development of 20 management plans and the adoption of participatory monitoring to prevent wildlife trafficking.
The objective of the arapaima (Arapaima gigas) study is to establish an arapaima management strategy, including a diagnosis of the current status of the crop, the development of a fishery management plan, and a proposal to define monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) procedures. This fishery resource, also known as Amazonian cod, is in high demand in domestic and international markets for meat and skin. At the same time, an international workshop on successful experiences with arapaima (Arapaima gigas) management by ACTO member countries is underway to facilitate dialogue and exchange among experts, small producers’ organizations and institutional representatives in order to identify arapaima management experiences, learn about successful arapaima management models in a socially, environmentally and economically sustainable context among ACTO countries, share lessons learned and contribute to strengthening the use and exploitation of biodiversity in Ecuador.
Arapaima gigas.Photo: iStock
Cooperation
Bioamazon Project and the Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition of Ecuador, through its Biodiversity Directorate (DBI), have been cooperating in a very coordinated manner for the implementation of different actions. On August 16, the workshop “Presentation of Bioamazon Project and national initiatives underway” was held to identify points of common interest that will strengthen local initiatives and actions of the inhabitants of the Amazonian provinces within the framework of the value chains of wildlife products identified as being of high interest and potential.
In addition to the authorities of the Biodiversity Board, the workshop was attended by representatives of the Decentralized Autonomous Government of the Province of Sucumbíos, Ricardo Orellana (Tourism Department), Ricardo Tapuy (Nationalities Department), Edwin Herrera and Jessica Moncayo (International Cooperation Department); the representatives of Cedeal, Andrés Cerna and Karla Rodríguez; the coordinator of the Bioamazon Project, Mauro Ruffino, and consultants who are developing the studies within the framework of the project.
In his presentation, Mauro Ruffino, mentioned the objective of the Bioamazon Project to contribute to the conservation of Amazonian Biodiversity and especially of the species included in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), promoting the efficiency and effectiveness of the management, monitoring and control of wildlife species threatened by trade in the ACTO Member Countries.
“We are developing the Amazon Regional Observatory (ARO), a virtual forum for the integration of the eight Amazonian countries that are members of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) that will promote the exchange of information and knowledge about the Amazon among Amazonian countries and other stakeholders. We are grateful for the participation of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition of Ecuador in the actions of the Project and the ARO,” said Mauro Ruffino, coordinator of the Bioamazon Project and the implementation of the ARO.
Néstor Acosta-Buenaño, wildlife specialist of the Ministry’s Biodiversity Board, in turn, presented the evolution of Ecuador’s Biodiversity Information System, which had the support of ACTO for the development of interconnection and interoperability modules and connection with the ARO, to make biodiversity data available also in the Observatory.
“The Biodiversity Information System of Ecuador (SiB-Ec) was conceived in 2010 and it was until the period from 2017 to 2019 that with funds from the PCBRedd project financed by KfW that it was strengthened with the implementation of several modules completing a total of 37 modules to address the processes of research permits, framework contracts, patents of conservation means, rescues, retentions, trampling, among others; Then in a second period from 2020 to date, with funds from the Bioamazon Project, financed by KfW, we will continue with the implementation of 11 modules and 21 more under development for the management of CITES information, environmental risks and interoperability and interconnection mechanisms with other systems such as the ARO”, mentioned Néstor Acosta-Buenaño.
María Alejandra Gallardo, Mariana Mites, Cristina Flores and Ricardo Burgos, consultants for Ecuador’s Bioamazon Project, presented the progress made in defining and identifying strategies, tools and experiences to strengthen the orchid and arapaima production chains. For orchids, a tourism and conservation strategy called “The Orchid Route” was proposed, which in turn will serve to strengthen the proposal of the Action Plan for threatened orchids to guarantee their conservation. In addition, the planning of workshops on successful experiences with orchids, arapaima and charapa in the Amazon region of ACTO member countries will strengthen the work of identifying the arapaima value chain.
The workshop made it possible to reach a close rapprochement with an important local stakeholder in the province of Sucumbíos, whose representatives committed to collaborate and closely support the initiatives being implemented within the framework of Bioamazon Project.
Orchid
Published in the Bioamazon Bulletin, issue n. 10, July-August 2021.
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