Municipal Conservation Area in El Oro, Ecuador Adds to a Mosaic of Protected Dry Forests

Andes Amazon Fund celebrates the creation of the Las Lajas Municipal Conservation and Sustainable Use Area located in the province of El Oro, Ecuador. On April 14, 2023, the municipality of Las Lajas officially established the area, legally protecting 14,223 acres (5,756 hectares) of forests and waterways in Southern Ecuador. The new conservation area helps expand the core zone of the Dry Forest Biosphere Reserve, and protects water sources for the towns of La Victoria, El Paraíso, San Francisco, and El Guineo, as well as 958 families throughout the county.

Protecting Water Sources

The Municipal Government of Las Lajas has been coordinating with our partners at the nonprofit organization Nature and Culture International Ecuador (NCI) since 2021 to create the Municipal Protected Area. Together, they demarcated the boundaries for the protected area, identified the most critical areas for water conservation, and specified restoration zones to maintain ecosystem connectivity. The local government is now in the process of creating an official Management Committee to support the long-term protection of the area.

Mitigating Threats to the Conservation Area

Like many of the region’s dry forests (of which only 5% remain intact), Las Lajas has long faced threats due to the advance of the agricultural frontier. This damage to the forest, if allowed to continue, will likely lead to desertification. This means the soil could lose its ability to regulate water and nutrients, leaving an arid, desert landscape that can no longer provide ecosystem services like clean air, pollination, and potable water, among others.

For Jinsop Sanmartín Jiménez, representative of the environmental management department of the Las Lajas Municipality, awareness is crucial to saving Ecuador’s dry forests. Nearby communities and farmers must be informed about the consequences of deforestation and the need to protect the water sources for the surrounding area’s population.

Expanding a Key Biosphere Reserve

From a biodiversity standpoint, Las Lajas Municipal Conservation Area allows for the improved protection of a critical area of ​​the Dry Forest Biosphere Reserve, which forms part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). 

This new conservation area will preserve biodiverse ecosystems such as the evergreen forests of the Catamayo-Alamor foothills, and the lowland deciduous forests of Jama-Zapotillo. In addition, the municipal conservation area is home to important bird species such as the endangered El Oro parakeet (Pyrrhura orcesi), the Amazonian motmot (Momotus momota), the neotropical cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus), and the spectacled owl (Pulsatrix perspicillata), among others.

Acknowledgments

The Las Lajas Municipal Conservation and Sustainable Use Area was established through extensive collaboration between the Las Lajas Municipal Government and Nature and Culture International.