Long-term volunteer needed for
Tropical Mountain Permaculture
Project in Ecuador
The Los
Cedros Protected Forest
www.reservaloscedros.org
was established in 1989 and work for the recognition as an National
Protected Area resulted in the declaration of Bosque Protector in
1994. Over 17 years populations of birds and mammals have notably
increased to the point where the reserve has been chosen to become a
training center for primate conservation in association with the
University of Sussex and a Darwin Initiative project,
Primenet. Conservation work in the reserve is being carried
out by local scientist and students. Primenet is training a
community based group of para-biologists who will be collecting data on
primate populations from their bases in the villages closest to the
remaining forested areas of Northwest Ecuador.
Through
out the years of conservation efforts Permaculture has been a integral
part of the development of habitat concepts in and around Los Cedros and
a new area has been identified for intensified development of a
sustainable model. Among considerations taken into account
for the establishment of this new Permaculture site are reforestation of
practically all areas adjacent to the current administrative buildings
and the institution of silveculture systems in existing pastures with
emphasis on providing food sources for primates in the wild.
This means happily that today monkeys are getting at the fruit planted by
previous Permaculture activity here at Los Cedros and we have to move
this program further away from the primates.
The
new site is located on the very boundary of this protected area where the
area is closer to community activity and several hectares of acceptably
workable land are available. While many Permaculture techniques
have been applied to differing sites in NW Ecuador much has been learned
and the application of any land use modification in the mountainous
tropics has to conducted with the care that comes with experience.
The
project has identified a family which would be available to care for this
project on a daily basis and attend to volunteers who would be recruited
for the actual construction of this model. We are looking for
a person or persons who would be responsible for overall design and
management for the first year. .
The
new site offers many advantages including warmer climate for fruit and
vegetable production, the largest level ground area available for
modification and location close to school for caretaker family and
community interface. With the increased scientific activity it is
now necessary to increase food production capacity that is likely to
provide a sustainable living for caretakers. It is also foreseen
that further residential areas will have to be provided at the new site
for volunteer and visitor from distant communities.
Contact Jose Decoux
loscedros@ecuanex.net.ec