Silvopastoral Practices and the Condor Bioreserve, Ecuador

Abstract

The Condor Bioreserve initiative has the potential to serve as a model of integrated watershed management for developing countries. Within the region, landowners and settlers, government agencies and multiple non-governmental organizations face the challenge to modify land uses to best serve the tripartite goals of managing water resources, preserving critical habitat for biological conservation, and maintaining livelihoods. Livestock, especially cattle, are a valued commodity for people in the region. At the same time, increased tree cover on private land can provide many benefits such as increased income diversity, soil retention, and improved conditions for biological conservation. Silvopastoral systems can accommodate the desires of local landowners for livestock while addressing conservation goals of increased tree cover. A review of such systems and related conditions in the Bioreserve region and Ecuador is followed by reviews of other examples from the Andes region and other mountainous parts of the world. Suggestions include promoting forestry systems with fuller canopies through a rating system in park connector areas and buffer zones, local value-added timber processing, consideration of timber certification, and continuing current successes, such as extensionists promoting tree-related projects, markets for forestry products derived from private lands, community tree nurseries, and improved pastures incorporating trees. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: <docdelivery@haworthpress.com> Website: <http://www. HaworthPress.com>  2004 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.] Jeff Luoma earned a Master of Forestry degree at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. He is currently working as Forester for the Washington State

Changes in land use and ecosystem services in tropical forest areas: a case study in Andes mountains of Ecuador

“…An alternative approach for obtaining such products could be the use of trees in pastures. This practice was also found to be effective at reducing soil erosion (White and Maldonado 1991), improves biodiversity, and provides shadow and protection to livestock (Luoma 2004).…”

“…The LULC changes observed in CELS highlight the typical pathway of changes in Ecuadorian Andean mountains. Deforestation typically occurs for wood or charcoal extraction (for 1 or 2 years), then the land parcel is converted to agriculture (2-5 years) and then to pasture (7-10 years), before returning the land to fallow for another 1-5 years (Luoma 2004). Rodríguez Eraso et al 2013 abandoned agricultural areas evolve to secondary vegetation, where the latter is converted to pastures.…”

“…Taking into account these observations, forest management should consider these attributes in order to maintain a high contribution of non-market ESs, which sustain ecological quality. Fuelwood and charcoal are important forest products in Ecuador (Luoma 2004), and for this reason, alternative approaches to mitigate deforestation for such purposes are needed. An alternative approach for obtaining such products could be the use of trees in pastures.…”

Principales amenazas e iniciativas de conservación de la biodiversidad en Ecuador

“…En el Condor Bioreserve de Ecuador, los esfuerzos silvopastoriles han demostrado ser beneficiosos para la conservación de árboles en sistemas pastorales. Estos esfuerzos han proporcionado ejemplos de cómo los sistemas silvopastoriles pueden acomodar las necesidades de los propietarios de tierras locales para la ganadería, al tiempo que abordan los objetivos de conservación de aumentar la cobertura arbórea (Luoma, 2004).…”

“…Otro estudio realizado en la Reserva Biológica del Cóndor en Ecuador examina las prácticas silvopastoriles y su impacto en la conservación. Este estudio destaca cómo los sistemas silvopastoriles pueden acomodar las necesidades de los propietarios de tierras locales para la ganadería, al tiempo que abordan los objetivos de conservación de aumentar la cobertura arbórea (Luoma, 2004).…”