South America Conservation Region: Northern Tropical Andes
Ecuador:
Condor Bioreserve
Fees From Water Users in Quito
Flowing to River Stewardship Projects
Ecuador’s 18,871-foot Antisana Volcano last erupted in 1802. Its glacier-covered peak is part of the Condor Bioreserve’s Antisana Ecological
Reserve, a major water source for Quito. ©TNC
o say Quito is a thirsty city is an understatement. Every month, residents and businesses
of Ecuador’s capital city drink and wash with
about 4.5 billion gallons of water. That’s enough to fill
almost 15,000 Olympic-size swimming pools.
With people from the countryside steadily migrating to
the metropolitan region of 1.5 million, that use isn’t expected to drop anytime soon. Such an escalating need spurred
The Nature Conservancy to study the effect of this seemingly unquenchable thirst on the source—the rivers of the
mountainous Condor Bioreserve that flow west toward
Quito. The 4.8 million-acre bioreserve, made up of six
protected areas, is some 37 miles east of Quito. It is
named after Ecuador’s national icon—despite the fact
that only about 80 condors are left in the entire country.
T
In 2000, the Conservancy teamed up with the U.S.
Agency for International Development and in-country
partners to create a Quito-based water conservation fund.
The aim is to collect payments from water users and
channel the money to watershed protection. The fund
goes by FONAG, a Spanish acronym for Fundación para
la Conservación del Agua.
A 1999 change in Ecuadorian law allowed for the creation of FONAG because the legislation opened the door
for government organizations such as utilities to invest in
private financial mechanisms. An independent financial
manager and a board of governors oversee FONAG.
The Conservancy donated the initial $1,000 and invited
major water users to the table. Regular contributions
from the local water company, electric company and the
the Central Valley. Studies show that about 80 percent
of Quito’s water comes from protected areas. The rest
comes from freshwater springs near the city.
More Watershed Protection
Ecuador’s capital city of Quito relies on the rivers flowing from
the Condor Bioreserve for 80 percent of its water. © TNC
National Brewery have boosted the fund to $1.4 million.
FONAG’s open governance structure encourages broadbased stakeholder participation. But payments are voluntary so success depends on willingness to pay. That’s why
anybody making payments to FONAG can join the board
individually or elect a representative, as is the case with a
small irrigation water user group.
The goal with FONAG is to generate at least $350,000
in interest annually to pay for water conservation projects.
Interest from the fund is used for conservation measures
to preserve rivers flowing from the mountains of the Condor
Bioreserve. For instance, the Conservancy and its partners
are ironing out a master plan for the Antisana watershed.
Its aim is to reduce overgrazing and burning of croplands
and pastures, both of which cause erosion that pollutes
and degrades water sources. The same kinds of efforts are
being coordinated in the communities of Oyacachi and
Papallacta, both in Cayambe-Coca Ecological Reserve.
Right now, the catch is that this trust fund money can
be spent only on two of the Condor’s 28 watersheds, the
Oyacachi in the Cayambe Coca Reserve and the Antisana
in the Antisana Reserve. Why? Because they are deemed
most critical to Quito’s water needs. But growing consumption, expected to increase 50 percent by 2025, means
the water company is seeking other sources within protected areas. The South American continental divide cuts
through Cayambe Coca Reserve. Rivers to the west flow
to the Pacific, while rivers to the east drain to the Atlantic.
The Conservancy’s goal is to raise significant amounts of
money from private donors to add to the $1.4 million water
conservation fund. That way, money would be available for
conservation work in more than just those two watersheds.
As Quito continues to sprawl throughout its high Andean
valley, the water and electric companies continue to plan
more pipelines, dams and hydroelectric projects.
Besides being used for drinking and generating electricity, river water sustains trout farms and irrigates
crops, especially the burgeoning cut flower industry in
To put more of its money where its mouth is, the
Conservancy is dedicating $55,000 of U.S. AID funds over
a two-year period to watershed conservation. Quito’s water
and electric companies and the breweries are matching
that amount. That means, initially, $110,000 will be available for conservation work in up to four watersheds in the
Condor. Choices include the Antisana in the Antisana
Reserve and the Oyacachi, Papallacta and Quijos in
Cayambe-Coca Reserve.
Before FONAG was created, Conservancy partner
Fundación Antisana studied the Condor Bioreserve and
made recommendations about how money from the fund
could be spent to protect watersheds. Suggestions included:
❖ Researching
the hydrology of the reserve to fully understand the effect of pipelines and dams. For instance,
Cayambe-Coca and Antisana, both ecological reserves
within the Condor, are made up of high-altitude Andean
grasslands and cloud forests, which retain humidity and
regulate water flows. As snows from glaciers in
Cayambe-Coca, Antisana and Cotopaxi melt, the water
is slowly released from soil and vegetation and feeds
rivers, lakes and various wetlands.
❖ Compensating
the original landowners for their loss of
title when the government’s Ministry of Environment
created the Condor Bioreserve. Continuing conflicts
mean those people need to be reimbursed somehow.
For instance, if their land was put into a conservation
easement, it would encourage farming practices that
would protect watersheds.
❖ Hiring
park guards and coordinating environmental
workshops to teach improved farming practices that
would prevent erosion and pollution by controlling
illegal logging, hunting, fishing, burning of grasslands,
overgrazing and trash disposal.
contact information
Anna Gibson
South America Conservation Region
4245 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 100
Arlington, Virginia 22203-1606
phone: (703) 841-4109
email: [email protected]
nature.org
09/04