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| Asociación Ecosistemas Andinos | |
|---|---|
| Name | Asociación Ecosistemas Andinos |
| Native name | Asociación Ecosistemas Andinos |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Type | Nonprofit |
| Location | Quito, Ecuador |
| Focus | Conservation, research, community development |
Asociación Ecosistemas Andinos is a nonprofit environmental organization based in Quito, Ecuador, focused on conserving Andean ecosystems, promoting biodiversity research, and supporting community-led sustainable development in the Tropical Andes. The association engages with academic institutions, governmental agencies, indigenous federations, and international conservation networks to implement protected-area management, restoration initiatives, and environmental education across Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia. Its work intersects with regional conservation priorities, multilateral environmental agreements, and transboundary landscape initiatives.
Founded in 1998 in Quito, the organization emerged amid debates following the Coca crisis (1990s), the expansion of oil extraction in Ecuador, and the designation of Yasuni National Park as a global conservation concern. Early collaborators included researchers from the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, the National Polytechnic School (Ecuador), and members of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador. During the 2000s the association partnered with the United Nations Environment Programme initiatives in the Andes-Amazon Transition and coordinated restoration pilots near the Azuay Province and Napo Province. In the 2010s its programs aligned with commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Paris Agreement through engagement with the Ministry of Environment of Ecuador and the Andean Community. Recent decades saw collaborations with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the World Wide Fund for Nature on landscape-scale conservation.
The association states objectives consistent with international frameworks such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Ramsar Convention, and the Montreal Protocol for environmental stewardship. Core aims include conserving montane forest and páramo habitats central to the Tropical Andes biodiversity hotspot, restoring degraded watersheds that feed into the Amazon River and Guayas River basins, and applying participatory approaches used by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Objectives emphasize collaboration with local governments of Ecuador and municipal authorities in Pichincha Province and Imbabura Province, engagement with indigenous organizations like the Shuar and Kichwa peoples, and contribution to national biodiversity strategies overseen by the Ministry of Environment and Water (Ecuador).
Programs span restoration, species monitoring, sustainable livelihoods, and protected-area management. Notable projects have included reforestation in the Chocó-Andean corridor with native species promoted by the Tropical Rainforest Conservation and Research Center, páramo restoration research in collaboration with the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, and freshwater conservation work inside the Podocarpus National Park buffer zones. The association administered community-based ecotourism pilots using models from Ecuadorian Ministry of Tourism guidelines and developed payment for ecosystem services schemes akin to programs by the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank. It has also implemented monitoring protocols compatible with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and biodiversity inventories modeled after studies by the Field Museum.
Scientific activities include biodiversity inventories, long-term monitoring, and applied research on ecosystem services. Researchers affiliated with the association have collaborated with the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and the University of Cambridge on studies of endemic amphibians, Andean bears linked to Spectacled bear conservation, and Andean condor population assessments paralleling work by the Smithsonian Institution. Conservation planning employed spatial analyses used by the World Resources Institute and species recovery methods similar to those of the International Crane Foundation. The association contributes data to regional platforms like the IUCN Red List assessments and supports taxonomy and systematics research aligned with the Natural History Museum, London.
Community programs center on capacity-building, environmental education, and sustainable-agriculture training with partners such as the Food and Agriculture Organization and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture. The association has run school curricula projects in collaboration with the Ministry of Education (Ecuador) and community workshops coordinated with the Federación Interprovincial de Comunas. Livelihood initiatives promote non-timber forest products, agroforestry methods used in Peru and Colombia, and artisan value chains linked to fair-trade networks like WFTO. Cultural heritage work involves coordination with indigenous cultural centers and festivals recognized by the Ministry of Culture and Heritage (Ecuador).
Funding and partnerships combine international donors, multilateral institutions, and private foundations. Major funders and partners have included the United Nations Development Programme, the Global Environment Facility, the MacArthur Foundation, and the Gates Foundation for targeted social-environmental programs. Multilateral cooperation extends to the Andean Community and technical support from the German Agency for International Cooperation and USAID. Corporate collaborations have been executed under environmental responsibility frameworks with regional branches of Banco Pichincha and multinational firms operating in Ecuador, guided by safeguards comparable to those of the Equator Principles.
The association is governed by a board of directors with representation from academia, indigenous federations, and civil-society organizations, following bylaws registered in Quito Cantonal Council records. Its operational model includes technical units for research, field operations, finance, and community outreach, drawing professionals trained at institutions such as the Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral and the Central University of Ecuador. Oversight mechanisms include annual audits by certified firms and project evaluations aligned with standards from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and monitoring frameworks used by the United Nations Development Programme.
Category:Environmental organizations based in Ecuador Category:Conservation organisations