TOWARDS THE CONSOLIDATION OF THE MADRE SELVA INSTITUTE AND THE PROTECTION OF THE LAST REMAINING FOREST IN THE NORTH WEST OF ECUADOR-SAN LORENZO
PROPOSAL PREPARED BY: Martha Lucy Mondragón
CENTRO DE INVESTIGACION DE LOS BOSQUES
TROPICALES-CIBT
Address: Alemania 339 y Eloy Alfaro, 4 floor
P.O. Box: Casilla 17-7-8726
Phone/fax: 593-2-540-346
Email: cibt@ecuanex.et.ec
Quito, Ecuador
May- 2000TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. ABSTRACT
II. CIBT BACKGROUND INFORMATIONIII. INTRODUCTION
IV. PROJECT DESCRIPTION
V. OBJECTIVES
VI. OBJECTIVES IMPLEMENTATION
VII. EXPECTED RESULTS
VIII. SAN LORENZO PERSONNEL
IX. BUDGET
X. RIC/CIBT Information on Projects
and Activities
I. ABSTRACT
An exploding human population, deforestation and
inappropriate
agricultural practice are among the chief factors
causing the
destruction of the tropical rainforest of Western
Ecuador. During the
last fifty years, a single generation, some ninety
eight percent of
canopy has been wiped out. The remaining portion,
contained in the Awa
Ethnic Reserve and the Cotacachi-Cayapas Biosphere
Reserve, is the
southernmost extension of the Choco phytogeographic
region, a zone that
United Nations has declared to contain the richest
biodiversity on
Planet Earth.
There is currently no infrastructure in place to
protect this habitat,
and the new road currently under construction to
connect the industrial
hinterland to the coast, will undoubtedly introduce
new populations of
colonists. Experience has shown in Ecuador, indeed
globally, that
tropical rainforest cannot sustain a pattern of
indiscriminate
destruction imposed by external forces. It is the
intention of this
Foundation that unless community based sustainable
land use practice is
immediately implemented; the fate of the remaining
forest and the
inevitable process of desertification is a foregone
conclusion. If
misdirected human energy could be re-channeled
productively with minimal
land impact, and abundance could be restored to
degraded lands that
would obviate the need for the ruinous exploitation
of virgin forest.
We believe that Permaculture (permanent agriculture offers the most
effective option to address the current disastrous
land use patterns of
colonizers. The CIBT has been working towards this
goal since its
inception in 1991. In 1993 a five hectares parcel of
land was purchased
in San Lorenzo in the Nor Occident Province of
Ecuador and set up as a
model for Permaculture. This proposal seeks funding
to maintain this
Permaculture Farm Model, improve its function as a
Permaculture Learning
Center and carry out extension projects to
surrounding areas of
north-west Equator.
"Permaculture (permanent agriculture) is the
conscious design and
maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems
which have the
diversity, stability and resilience of natural
ecosystems. It is the
harmonious integration of landscape and people
providing their food,
energy, shelter and other material and non-material
needs in a
sustainable way. Without permanent agriculture there
is no possibility
of a stable social order" (Bill Mollison).
II. CIBT BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The stated projects of RIC for 2000 are an extension
of the contacts,
experience and activities of the preceding eleven
years. The San Lorenzo
Permacultural Project is a part of a wider effort by
CIBT to promote an
ecologically sustainable future for Ecuador.
In the Amazon these have taken on the form of the
demarcation and
protection of Huaorani Tribal Territory and Galeras
Mountain.
Demarcation involves a process of physical
delineation, a clearing of a
boundary path and replanting with a line of palms
and fruit trees - in
effect a living boundary system. Huaorani Territory
comprises 617,000
hectares and Galeras Mountain 18,000 hectares.
Compilation of botanical
data was underway for both projects and in the case
of the Huaorani,
this information was formulated into a plant based
bilingual educational
program coordinated by the Ministry of Education and
the national
indigenous federation CONAIE. The establishment of
medicinal plant
gardens and the permacultural design of food
production were part of
this program, The Huaorani and Galeras projects are
not now under the
CIBT administration, they were passed to the ONHAE
Huaorani federation
and the government and indigenous people
respectively in 1997.
The Cayambe Permaculture Project in the high Andes
has included the
construction of a school replete with a permaculture
curriculum for
attending children of the indigenous community of
Chitachaca. Native
tree species were propagated for reintroduction into
this and other
communities in the general area. An independent
adjunct of this project
was the establishment of a native seed saving and
seed production
program, which was design for export.
As part of the CIBT strategy to protect the
Cotacachi- Cayapas Biosphere
Reserve of Western Ecuador, a six thousand four
hundred hectare
biological reserve was create in 1992, around its
periphery in the
valley of Los Cedros. The placement of this reserve
serves the dual
function of providing a buffer to the intrusion of
colonists as well as
the ongoing investigative research by scientists
from Ecuador, Europe
and the USA. The Los Cedros Biological reserve is
also and alive
Permaculture Model for the cloud forests as well as
a center for
biological studies, education and
socio-organizative' process. Its main
purpose is to preserve the remaining Choco forest of
the northwest -and
its inhabitants- by the implementation of processes
alternative to
deforestation.
During the last eight years the CIBT has conducted
many Permaculture
courses at its project sites as well as one
International Course (1994)
which had been focused on women and technical
approach.
III. INTRODUCTION
San Lorenzo lies on the coast of Ecuador in the
province of
Nor-Occident, immediately south of the Colombian
border. Its location is
in the last remaining extension of intact mangroves
and is adjacent to
the Awa Ethnic Reserve and the Cotacachi-Cayapas
Biosphere Reserve. The
immense ecological value of the high humidity and
biological diversity
of the region is only paralleled by the rate of its
destruction, the
fastest in South America.
This town is populated mainly by Afro-Americans, the
descendants of the
black slaves brought over by Spanish colonists. They
have maintained
their African culture through their music and
folkloric dance. Their
isolation was disrupted by market forces, which
currently revolves
around the timber industry and the monoculture
plantation of oil palms
and accounts for the populations' dependence on this
as their only
economy. The almost complete lack of agriculture,
sustainable or
otherwise, has compounded this. The misery of an
exploding population
and total dependence on oil for food transportation,
electricity and
water, with a subsequent vulnerability to
fluctuations in the national
economy, has permitted free rein to the timber
companies, and thus their
capacity to manipulate the situation remains
unchecked.
There has existed a concerted national and
international focus to
preserve the ecological, social and cultural
diversity of the
nor-occident of Ecuador. Many international aid
agencies have been
involved, among them: Overseas Development Agency of
Great Britain,
American International Development Agency, Cultural
Survival, Missouri
Botanical Gardens and nationally the Unidad Tecnica
Ecuatoriana del Plan
Awa, Fundacion Natura and Ecociencia.
The last decade has seen protective strategies
implemented for the
protection of the Awa Ethnic Forest Reserve with an
increased focus to
preserve the Cotacachi-Cayapas Ecological Reserve.
Within this overall
scheme the CIBT has played its own role over the
last 14 years.
We have participated in the provision of ecological
information, the
demarcation of Awa Territory, the creation of a
Biological Reserve, the
establishment of at least the possibility of a
sustainable timber
system, and one multi layer seed bank-nursery
including local and exotic
timber, fruit and leguminous species. Some of these
programs have been
taken on by other organizations. The sustainable
timber project is
currently managed by an Ecuadorian agency and is
being funded by the
British Government. The San Lorenzo Permaculture
model is the
distillation of all these experiences and
activities.
IV. PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The possibility for the Permaculture Model in San
Lorenzo centers on the
social network that has been created around 14 years
activity in this
province. They include the following: the initial
reports of the
regional ecology and a study of the agricultural
methods of the
indigenous Awa that were prepared for UTEPA (Unidad
Técnica Ecuatoriana
del Plan Awa). Several nurseries and orchards have
been established
including a large one o the grounds of FETANE
(Federación Ecuatoriana de
Trabajadores Autonomo Nor Occidente de Esmeraldas)
in San Lorenzo. A
sustainable timber management plan was designed and
implemented for the
community of El Pan and the harvested timber was
exported to the
Ecological Trading Company of the UK.
In July 1992 a Permaculture Design Course was held
in nearby Esmeraldas.
The course was taught by Dr. Bill Mollison the
founder of Permaculture.
Over a hundred men and women participated,
representational of the
entire ethnic and social panorama of Ecuadorian
society. Present were
preliminary engineers, the states petroleum company,
numerous government
and non-government organizations and seven
indigenous ethnic groups.
Such was the enthusiasm and interest generated by
this course that Dr.
Bill Mollison declared that the International
Permaculture Institute
would contribute financially if the recently
purchased CIBT parcel would
include a Permaculture Learning Center.
In the summer of 1992 RIC purchased three hectares
(seven acres) of land
within the town of San Lorenzo. With the exception
of a few large trees
it is characterized by secondary re-growth of
vegetation. In the cleared
areas dense weed infestation proliferates. Soil pH
is acid, has high
clay and aluminum content and the topography is flat
with poor drainage.
Both are typical of the area. The Department of
Agriculture insists that
food production is not available activity and their
maps have classified
this area as uncultivable. Indeed the local
population is convinced of
this. Our intention was to demonstrate that the
asseveration was wrong
so we intended to create a model of abundance with
the same resources
available to the poorest members of the community.
Four more hectares of
land, distributed in two blocks, were bought in the
vicinity of the
first three original hectares in the years of 1994
and 1996. This land
is covered mostly by native trees.
During these past seven years the Madreselva
Institute consolidated the
design of a living garden in the land it owns and
built an
administrative and learning center under the
administration of the CIBT
and Permaculture America Latina-PAL Foundations. The
PAL foundation was
created with some people from the CIBT foundation
who dedicated
themselves until now to the teaching and practice of
Permaculture. The
San Lorenzo Project was conducted by one of the main
Permaculturalist in
Latino America, Ali Sharif, who worked as a CIBT
member. As the project
developed it was passed on to the new foundation,
created by him in
1995. In 1997, PAL moved its main office to Brazil,
and gave the project
back to the locals under the stewardship of the
CIBT.
The local custodians have managed to maintain the
center since this time
to some extent, but were not able to carry out any
training programs or
complete the plans for construction of the center.
Last year the
caretakers agreed with the CIBT would take the
project back under its
administration until its total physical completion
and the locals are
well empowered to control the project.
Because of the economic situation that the country
was and is suffering
and due to the CIBT commitments with others regions
during the last
year, the Madreselva Institute had been maintained
with a minimal budget
based on occasional donations of visitors to the
CIBT foundation. This
has meant that work on the original goals have been
"on hold" until such
time as an expert permaculturalist was available to
guide the project on
a full time basis and the funding to compete the
Center's infrastructure
was secure.
Fortunately, the first of these conditions has been
met and a
permaculture volunteer from the Tagari Permaculture
Institute is now
based at "MadreSelva". This proposal specifically
seeks funding to
ensure the infrastructure and running of the center
is secured until the
project becomes self-sustaining.
V. OBJECTIVES
1. General Objectives
Permaculture is the design of sustainable human
settlements. It is a
philosophy and an approach to land use that weaves
together
microclimate, annual and perennial plants, building
structures, animals,
soils, water management and human needs, into
intricately connected,
productive communities.
The objective of this project is to contribute with
alternatives to stop
the forest destruction of the northwest region of
Ecuador by maintaining
a living demonstration of sustainable land use and
the training in
Permaculture.
2. Specific Objectives
a) To maintain the resource base of hundreds of
plants, trees and seeds
through the large scale nurseries for fruit and nut
trees, native
specie hardwoods and medicinal plants already
established at the
center.
b) To maintain the Madreselva center for the
production of organic and
nutritional food.
c) To Improve the Madreselva center Buildings and
its area for
permaculture education with a focused emphasis on
practical
application.
d) To continue with the implementation of the
permaculture Program,
which has its base at the center, towards the
community areas.
e) To contribute to the area economical situation
by the employment of
local people and contributing to the local economy
through trade and
learning.
f) To establish an ecological/tourism center to
educate about ecological
ways of land use and to look for a sustainable
economic way for the
center.
g) To extend the experience and expertise of the
local people that has
maintained the center as well as the volunteer
coordinator to
additional project sites in the region.
VI. OBJECTIVES IMPLEMENTATION
The methodology established for the Madreselva
Center cover two year of
activities (2000-2001) and it is focused in the
development and
establishment of this center and its buffer area.
The methodology also
covers various aspects that are included in the
Madreselva activities
which are carried out by the CIBT and coordinated
with the different
governmental organizations (1) and the activities
which are only of
competence of the CIBT and the communities located
at the buffer zone
(2).
1. The activities concerned to the CIBT and the
government institutions
are:
a) The inclusion of the Madreselva Institute in the
category of
"Protected Forest": This activity involves the
Ministries of Environment
as well as the agricultural. It includes the
inspection of the center
made by a Ministry team, which see the conditions of
the forest, crops
and buildings.
b) The reinforcement of relations between the CIBT
and the
non-government institutions working in the area:
This serves to
coordinate activities to maximize resources and to
avoid the overlap of
roles and activities.
2. The administrative activities, which are of
competence of CIBT and
the communities, include all the administrative
tasks as well as the
education and scientific ones:
a. The Continuation of the Madreselva Center Model
of Permaculture which
include the remodeling of the Madreselva Center for
the tourist,
visitors and the local and scientific communities:
The area were the
center building had been established is now a highly
diverse and
productive system which provides a demonstrative
model of agricultural
practices that are ecological and sustainably
possible. The buildings
include a center for accommodation and educational
seminars, a kitchen
and dining areas, a nursery and greenhouses.
However, these buildings
are as yet incomplete and now require maintenance.
i) Reconstruction and Maintenance of Buildings: The
Madreselva Center
counted with a double floor house which serves as an
accommodation and
seminar location as well as an area for kitchen and
dinner that are
under construction presently. The main training
center requires work to
complete the second floor. In particular to create
separate rooms and
service areas. The kitchen and dining area needs the
reconstruction of
walls and windows.
ii) Reconstruction and maintenance of the Water
system: The town of San
Lorenzo does not offer a dependable nor clean system
of water supply.
Most of the water used by the town population comes
from an aquifer that
is polluted by the sewage system. For this reason,
the Madreselva center
established a rainwater system collection at its
location, which is
pumped through a solar cell to a storage
compartment. This system is
simple and is currently in dire need of restoration.
iii) Re-establishing trails at the demonstration
site: The center had
two main trails that are in need of reconstruction.
Most of the soils in
the area are very fragile and need to be maintained
since its carrying
capacity is very low.
iv) The Building of a Nursery and two greenhouses:
The nursery needs to
be rebuild since the wood that made its structure is
very old and easily
breaks down in the humid conditions of the site. The
production of trees
has expanded and the nursery capacity needs to be
increased. An increase
in community involvement as well as local, national
and international
visitors is expected to happen. To provide more
vegetables for this
expected increase two green houses need to be built
for vegetable
production.
v) The Fencing of the Institute land: Last year two
hectares of the
Institute land were occupied by the colonist. This
situation was solved
with the help of the Mayor of San Lorenzo which
showed to the
communities also the importance than the center has
for the town since
its the only alive garden inside the city. Now these
colonizers are
ready to work with us and the Institute propriety
rights had been
reestablished. However, there is still a need to
demarcate and properly
protect the boundaries of the Center's land to
prevent further
invasions.
b. Education, Training and Community development
towards environmental
and Permaculture issues
The center has two programs, one that has to do with
research and the
other that deal with education and training. The
first one was
established at the time of the center design in
1993. The project
personnel had been in charge of compiling the
information about the
success and establishment of the fruit and food
species as well as the
maintenance of gardens and nurseries. Two main
courses about
Permaculture were held at the center, and eight
regarding permaculture
aspects as well as social organization for women and
communities were
made between 1993 and 1998.
Through the years the need for the education and
training of the San
Lorenzo community had been evident. The escalating
rate of deforestation
in the area reflects the limited knowledge and
capacity that the
community has to deal with the environmental
problems and the small
creative capacity to prevent them.
Through the permaculture-training program we intend
to assist their
education process and help them develop better ways
to manage their
land. We intend to concentrate on practical
workshops that include
topics such as Seed Banks, Land tenure and
Territorial Management for
Communities and Permaculture Workshops. Community
seed banks workshops
are going to be carried out, during one year, in
different locations of
CIBT work' influence with the Madreselva center
providing an effective
base. During the second year the establishment of
more banks of short
and long use is going to happen.
Land tenure and Territorial Management Workshops for
Communities will be
part of a process of education about legal rights
and duties of land
tenure. Most of the communities in the San Lorenzo
area do not know how
the law can be of assistance for the land problems
they face. On the
other hand, these workshops also emphasize the need
for community
territorial organization regarding soil use and its
potential. We intend
to hold five workshops of these types in one year.
The Permaculture workshops are linked with the
implementation of the
Madreselva model. They look for the establishment of
certain techniques
and practices that care for the people and their
environment. We are
proposing two major annual courses divided into
modules to ensure the
practice and learning and also to facilitate the
monitoring of the
knowledge implementation. There will be also
mini-workshops carried out
at other associated project sites.
VII EXPECTED RESULTS
a. The establishment of an appropriate educational
and recreational
center for students, researchers and tourists.
b. To contribute to the conservation of the
biodiversity and well being
of the tropical forest and the people of the area by
presenting
alternatives to the deforestation through the
educational program and by
the establishment of a replicable model.
c. The establishment of systems of income
generation that allows the
center to be financially sustainable in the near
future. This involves
adequate training and empowerment of local
custodians, as well as
establishing Eco-tourism, organic products, tree
seedlings for local
sale to provide an ongoing income for the center.
VIII. SAN LORENZO PERSONNEL
Project Director: Martha Lucy Mondragón .MS. In
Public administration,
Biologist and Pemaculturalist. Specialized in
Ornithology and Management
of Wild areas.
Coordinator: Shine Mietzel Permaculturalist. 15
years of experience in
Tropical fruits, two years work in tropical systems
at Tagaeri
Permaculture Institute
Bank Seeds Promoter: Holly Shiach
Part Time FieldWork coordinator: Mauro Caicedo.
Agronomist,
Permaculturalist
Community Promoter: Frisman Medina. Agronomist.
Guardian and Manpower: Adelmo Mina.
IX. BUDGET MADRESELVA INSTITUTE 2000-2001
______________________________________________________________________________________
ITEMS YEAR 2000 YEAR 2001
___________________________________________________________________________________
1. Continuation of the Madreselva
Center Model of Permaculture:
- Reconstruction and Maintenance
of Buildings 10.000 3.000
- Reconstruction and maintenance
of the Water system 600 300
- Setting of trails at the demonstration
site 500 500
- Building of a Nursery and two
greenhouses 2000 1.000
- Fencing of the Institute land 1.000 5.000
2. Education, Training and Community
development towards environmental
and agricultural issues:
- Workshops Seed Banks 1.000 1.000
- Workshops Land tenure and
Territorial Management for
Communities 1.500 1.000
- Permaculture Workshops (x2/year) 2.720 3.000
3. Administration
3.1 Personnel
- Living expenses Director
250 Us/Month X 12 3.000 3.000
-Living Expenses Coordinator
250 Us/Month X 12 3.000 3.000
- Guardian and Promoter men
150 US /month X 12 X 2 3.600 3.600
- Part Time Field Coordinator
90/15 days X 12 1.080 1.080
3.2 Accounting, Office services
and needs (phone, paper, electrical
bills) aprox. 12 % total cost 3.600 3.000
TOTAL BUDGET 33.600 28.480
TOTAL BUDGET FOR TWO YEARS 62.080 US
Annex 1: RIC ANTECEDENTS
HISTORY AND MISSION
1. Introduction
The Rainforest Information Center, Ecuador (from
here on referred to as
CIBT) has been active for fourteen years in Ecuador.
We have been
established as a legalized Ecuadorian Foundation
since September 1991.
Our objectives are to create the consciousness
necessary to maintain a
sustainable use of the planet resources. In
particular, this is carried
out by establishing demonstrable, practical and
replicable processes and
examples of sustainability at ground level. This has
included protecting
pristine rainforest, through reserves systems,
education programs and
lobbying on human and ancestral rights issues.
2. Projects and Processes
In the fourteen years that the CIBT has been
operative in Ecuador we
have assisted with programs and pioneered projects
and processes that
include the following.
The Coast
i ). Assisting the Awa People for three years with
the demarcation of
their 100,000 hectare Ethnic Forest Reserve.
(1986-1990)
ii ). Co-ordinating and assisting the first black
community in Ecuador
to receive communal, legal title on ethnic
grounds.(1986-1990)
iii ). Co-ordinated and created sustainable timber
management plans
for the communities of El Pan and Arenales. This
project is now being
co-ordinated and funded by the British Overseas
Development Agency and
the 'Unidad Tecnica Ecuatoriana del Plan Awa' as an
extension of the
activities of the Ministery of Exterior Relations.
(1989-1991)
iv). Establishment of a five hectare model of
integrated agriculture
within the city of San Lorenzo and established
within this center the
infrastructure necessary to establish the 'Madre
Selva' (Forest Mother)
Permaculture Institute. (1993-2000)
Western Ecuador
I ). The establishment of the 6,400 hectares Los
Cedros Biological
Reserve as a legal and geographic entity at one of
the most important
region/ecosystem in the world: The Chocó
Region-North-West-Ecuador. At
the reserve we are carrying out a Permaculture Model
for the surrounding
communities and Scientific, Health and Social
Organizational programs.
(1990-2000)
The Sierra
i ). Assisted the marginalized Indian community of
Chiti Chaca to
construct their school and establish a one hectare
permaculture model.
(1990-1996)
ii ). The creation of a nursery of native trees and
establishment of a
small integrated household model of permaculture.
This project has been
passed to an Ecuadorian indigenous federation:
Pichincha Richarimui
since 1997. (1990-1997)
The Amazon
i ). The physical demarcation of 92 kilometers of
the Huaorani Nation
boundary around their 670,000 hectares of pristine
forest homeland.
(1990-1996)
ii ). Assisted with the Huaorani in their expansion
into their recently
legalized homeland and to create a unity among their
disparate clan
groups. (1990-1995)
iii ). Co-ordination of the removal and successful
resettlement of
colonist living within the legalized Huaorani
Territory. (1990-1993)
iv ). Completion of the socio-geographic studies
necessary to set the
actual boundaries of the Galeras National Park.
(1993-1996)
v ). Effected the de-colonisation of 2,000 hectares
of what is now the
Galeras National Park. These people have been
resettled in better
conditions. (1993-1996)
vi ). Assisted with the formation of the Indigenous
Foundation, IMU.
(1993)
vii ). Co-ordinated the communication with the
communities surrounding
Galeras into consensus on the understanding of the
need to protect
Galeras and to participate actively in the
protection of Galeras.
(1993-1997)
viii ). Assisted in the creation of nurseries and
infrastructure in the
IMU center. (1994-1997)
As well as the above, the CIBT administrates and
co-ordinates two
aspects of education within our larger process; the
first is the
permaculture project.
The CIBT has established a process to initiate
Permaculture in the three
main bioregions in Ecuador. Over four hundred people
from many walks of
life have participated in the two-week long,
information intensive
seminars, which offer both theory and practical
training. The last of
these seminars in April /1994 hosted participants
from twenty-two
countries and was held in the IMU center. We have
also conducted many
mini seminars for isolated communities.
The second of our education processes is known as
the 'All Species
Project' and is a process of education in the
schools that culminates in
a day or various days of pageantry with the whole
community
participating. We conducted the first of these on
the coast in 1993 in
San Lorenzo and in 1994 we were doing the same in
Cayambe in the sierra.
3. Organization' Functions
The functions that our organization provides are
multiple and many of
these can be understood by this brief description of
our work. However,
the fundamental issue is to assist people to empower
themselves to
tackle their own future in a society that is heavily
class and clan
based and that has been separated and starved of
information.
4. Current Programs and Accomplishments
Current programs of the CIBT are the continuation of
the projects of
Permaculture in the Coast and the Sierra and the
Permaculture component
in the Amazon. We are maintaining the Los Cedros
biological reserve and
conducting a few programs for the communities
located at its buffer
area, and have started a new process with the
reserve of Pañacocha where
we conduct the creation of the Master Management
Plan.
This was a process that was initiated by the CIBT
over seven years ago.
The results of our studies and reports, and our
overall 'gestion' was
the declaration of 56,000 hectares of the Pañacocha
lagoon system as
'Protected Forest'. We have been co-ordinating
nationally and regionally
and have now established park guards for this area
and are establishing
a system together with tourist guides in the region
to create the
infrastructure necessary to conduct biological
studies in the reserve.
We completed the resettlement of the colonist who
had settled within the
National Park of Galeras and co-ordinated the
complex communication
necessary to allow the demarcation process for
Galeras to begin and we
finished the first twenty kilometers of this
demarcation during the
period of time of 1993-1996.
We supported the establishment of the "Eco-City" of
Bahia de Caraquez in
1999 and cooperated closely with groups working on a
range of ecological
projects on Manabi's coast. Currently, we are
working also in the area
of Cotacachi in the process to create a "Cantón
Ecologico" with the
active support of the Mayor and the People Process
he has initiated. We
are also creating a range of programs including an
urban permaculture
project, a public ecology center, a community seed
bank program and
organized last March an expo of alternative
development that hosted over
30 organizations working in sustainable development
projects.
5. Population Served
We serve the Afro-Ecuadorian population by working
with the
organization, Afro-Ecuatoriana and the people within
the particular
communities that we have helped and we have an
extended realm of
influence due to our education processes.
We serve over a hundred Quechua mountain Indians in
the community of
ChitiChaca with the creation of the school and the
permaculture model,
but in 1994 with the 'All Species' process, we have
reached over one
thousand school children. We are training a handful
of individuals in
each of the areas that we are working. Over four
hundred people from
many walks of life including Indigenous Federations
and communities,
"campesino" organizations, Government Institutions
and the Military have
participated in our two week information intensive
seminars. There are
over one thousand two hundred Huaorani and we served
the whole nation in
our process of demarcation.
In the Galeras project we have assisted over one
hundred and fifty
people in an immediate way but there are over two
thousand people who
live around Galeras and the extended process of
preserving this pristine
area will assist more people. These people are
Quechua forest Indians
and mestizo colonists. All of these people live in
marginalized
communities or come from ethnic groups that receive
little or no help
from the Ecuadorian Government.
The most prominent aspect of our work is the
preservation of the immense
biological diversity in the tropical regions that we
are helping to
protect.
6. Staff
The core group of the CIBT is 7 people who come from
Ecuador, Colombia,
the United States, South Africa and Australia. This
group includes our
Secretary, two Biologist-Zoologists with specialties
in various fields,
1 Sociologists, one Forester, and one Communications
Expert and
Linguist. Our extended full time staff includes
another seven people,
two of whom are full time permaculturalists from
Australia and five
Ecuadorians and six 'campesinos". Almost all of the
above mentioned
people have been trained in Permaculture. There is
an extended network
of people both nationally and internationally that
collaborate and
co-ordinate closely with us. The CIBT has also
hosted many young
volunteers from various parts of the world.
7. Relationships and Differences
Our extended range of communication with
organizations includes or has
included Federation Awa, The Federation of
Autonomous Farmers of the
Northwest of Ecuador, Afro-Ecuatoriana and the
'Unidad Ecuatoriana del
Plan Awa' in the Coast, 'Pichincha Richarimui' and
the 'Union of
Indigenous Communities of Juan Montalvo' which is a
campecino
organization that we assisted to promote and to
form. These latter are
in the Sierra and in the Amazon we have worked with
the Organization of
the Huaorani Nation (ONHAE), with IMU. At the
national level we have
worked with the Confederation of Indigenous Peoples
of Ecuador
(CONNAIE), with INEFAN and with the Ecuadorian
Institute of Land Reform
and Colonization (IERAC/INDA). This institute,
having recognized that
there cannot be any more colonization is reforming
its structure and
objectives. Continuing at the national level we have
and do work closely
with the 'Patrimonio Cultural' of the state, the
Military, the Amazon
Co-operation Treaty and the Ministries of Foreign
Relations, Agriculture
and Environment
The organizational structure of all of these groups,
even though many of
them actually represent marginalised people, ethnic
groups and
communities, they are all mainstream in the
Ecuadorian social and
political spectrum. The international and highly
professional and
dedicated nature of our core group is helping to
make available a lot of
new information and channeling that into the
mainstream. Our activities
are nearly all based in the country regions of
Ecuador, but, Ecuador
being such a centrally based power structure that
runs from Quito (and
Guayaquil) means that we spend a lot of our time in
the countries
capital, Quito, and this is where we have
established our center. We
have as an entity displayed an uncanny ability to
cross the social and
political boundaries within the complete spectrum of
all of our
endeavors.
We work very closely with, but are not of the
society. Refined
communication is the essence within our expanding
web of process.