After our three nights in Cotacachi, we headed to Intag Cloud Forest and stayed at the Intag Cloud Forest Reserve and Educational Center. A very beautiful place situated on the very biodiverse western slopes of Ecuador ' s Western Andes in the middle of Cloud Forest with the sound of waterfalls and birds singing and butterflies flying all around.
Arriving at Intag Cloud Forest Reserve and Educational Center, Carlos Zorrilla and Sandy Statz welcomed us and we were given introduction to Cloud Forest.
The Intag Cloud Forest is among the world's hottest endangered ecosystem. According to Carlos, it is botanically super diverse with a potential value of its flora and fauna to Ecuador and the rest of the World. The tropical Andes which includes Intag Cloud Forest, contain approximately 15-17% of the world's plant species and almost 20% of its bird diversity.
However, the biggest challenge and concern that Intag Cloud Forest is facing; is that it is situated in the region that industrial copper mining projects tend to destroy thousands of hectares. Mining is very disastrous to environment and ecosystem in general and causes serious problems to flora and fauna and people in the communities. According to Carlos it creates in long term a project of desertification and water contamination with heavy metal.
The Intag Cloud Forest is among the world's hottest endangered ecosystem. According to Carlos, it is botanically super diverse with a potential value of its flora and fauna to Ecuador and the rest of the World. The tropical Andes which includes Intag Cloud Forest, contain approximately 15-17% of the world's plant species and almost 20% of its bird diversity.
However, the biggest challenge and concern that Intag Cloud Forest is facing; is that it is situated in the region that industrial copper mining projects tend to destroy thousands of hectares. Mining is very disastrous to environment and ecosystem in general and causes serious problems to flora and fauna and people in the communities. According to Carlos it creates in long term a project of desertification and water contamination with heavy metal.
We learned about cloud forest ecology, conservation, basic entomology, ecological farming, environmental activism, mining and the communities. It was a very unique opportunity to listen to first-hand account of all the initiatives of ecology conservation. Carlos shared with us his experiences of two decades ago; his involvement and initiatives in conservation of the ecology of Intag Cloud Forest. His passion and dedication have led to a successful resistance to two major mining projects in Intag Cloud Forest and has created a sustainable community ecotourism and ecological farming.
Carlos ' s approaches to the conservation of Intag Cloud Forest 's ecology included help founding a grassroot environmental organization DECOIN (Defense and Ecological Conservation of Intag) and working with youth in the community to help mobilization community engagement; to be aware of their rights and to stand and resist to anything that may lead to the destruction of ecology of Intag Cloud Forest. His actions have been very effective, because together with the communities they have been successfully resisted to two major mining projects including Mitsubishi that was expelled in 1997 after contaminating the Junìn river and caused health problems to the people in the communities. It has also caused serious deforestation problems. However, more advocacy is still needed to address this issue that mining may cause in the future, and according to Carlos government's support to this initiative would make remarkable changes to a successful conservation of the ecology of Intag and the wellbeing of the people in the communities
Carlos ' s approaches to the conservation of Intag Cloud Forest 's ecology included help founding a grassroot environmental organization DECOIN (Defense and Ecological Conservation of Intag) and working with youth in the community to help mobilization community engagement; to be aware of their rights and to stand and resist to anything that may lead to the destruction of ecology of Intag Cloud Forest. His actions have been very effective, because together with the communities they have been successfully resisted to two major mining projects including Mitsubishi that was expelled in 1997 after contaminating the Junìn river and caused health problems to the people in the communities. It has also caused serious deforestation problems. However, more advocacy is still needed to address this issue that mining may cause in the future, and according to Carlos government's support to this initiative would make remarkable changes to a successful conservation of the ecology of Intag and the wellbeing of the people in the communities
AgroCOUGology group with Carlos Zorrilla
Carlos added that mining does not only have negative effects on the ecology; it also causes issues on social walfare of the people in the community; it causes socioeconomic conflicts and crimes.
By Cedric Habiyaremye
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