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Recent News
NCI’s Watershed Protection
Program a Continued Success
December 2008
The purchase of critical
areas, the generation of funds, and environmental education
all help to conserve watersheds |
In the southern Ecuador municipalities of Macará,
Celica, and Puyango, NCI has successfully purchased a number of
new areas critical to the protection of the water supply for thousands
of people. In Macará, 460 acres were purchased, while in
Celica and Puyango, 250 acres and 24 acres were purchased, respectively.
 These
purchases protect 11% of the area of interest in Macará,
and 20% of the area of interest in Celica. In Puyango, the municipal
government purchased three additional areas within the watershed
as well, and together with NCI’s purchase, 21% of the watershed
is now protected.
Besides directly protecting water resources,
these purchases will drive the municipalities to create a number
of ordinances establishing conservation programs in the region.
Each municipality will be empowered with the management of the
purchased areas through the guidance of NCI, and management funds
will be generated through water tax ordinances that we are currently
creating. The next step is the creation of the Regional Water
Fund to enable the municipalities of southern Ecuador to purchase
thousands of  additional
acres in the near future to further strengthen watershed protection
in the region.
We are also working with local students through
our environmental education program to instill upon them concepts
of environmental responsibility, conservation, restoration, and
resource management. In Celica, the municipality has built an
environmental education cabin on the NCI property within the watershed,
affording students hands-on learning experiences and a stronger
connection to their water resources. Our goal is to create a new
generation of conservationists that will promote the benefits
of land preservation and the environmental services provided by
intact ecosystems.
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