In the Dawn Valley, in the city of Otavalo, Ibarra, the act for the establishment of the Otavalo Mojanda Water Protection Area (APH) was developed by the Ministry of the Environment, Water and Ecological Transition.
The APH is number 21 nationwide and 11 in the current administration. The APH Otavalo Mojanda has a total area of 1,836.56 hectares that are located in the urban parish of San Luis and rural parishes: Eugenio Espejo, González Suárez and San Rafael de la Laguna.
The Cuturiví Chico Water Protection Area is number 19 in Ecuador and it seeks to conserve seven water sources
It has a large lake complex made up of 35 water sources that provide the surrounding community with an authorized flow of 301.37 liters per second, benefiting 14,330 people. These actions provide water for human consumption and production for food sovereignty, the fight against chronic child malnutrition and the generation of employment for the northern Sierra of the country.
Today we established the “Otavalo Mojanda Water Protection Area”, number 21 nationwide. This space adds up to 1,836.56 hectares that benefit 14,330 people with water for food sovereignty and the fight against chronic child malnutrition💧🇪🇨 pic.twitter.com/g3ynioPAZK
— Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition (@Ambiente_Ec) January 30, 2023
On the surface of the area, four types of ecosystems have been identified, these being the ones that give rise to the water sources, which make this area of high water importance, both for human consumption and for irrigation. The ecosystems present correspond to páramo grasslands (58.69%), montane evergreen shrubland of the northern Andes (0.67%), high montane evergreen forest of the Western Cordillera of the Andes (26.37%) and bodies of water (10.06%).
“We continue advancing in our crusade for the protection of the country’s water and with this new area we incorporate more hectares in compliance with the proposed goal until 2025 of reaching 284,000 hectares of national territory under water protection,” said Gustavo Manrique, Minister of the Environment. .
For his part, Mario Conejo, mayor of the Otavalo canton, stressed that “for us these acts inspire us to continue working for the conservation and maintenance of the páramos. Our communities permanently develop several joint mingas, because they are aware of the importance of water for life and its sustainability”. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
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