EbA in the Dry Forest Ecological Corridor: ecosystem management and inclusive multi-level governance to reduce vulnerabilities and increase resilience to the effects of climate change in local communities

Ecuador is one of the 20 mega-diverse countries in the world with a great variety and interrelation of ecosystems that provide numerous ecosystem services and environmental goods The country is divided into four well-defined natural geographic zones: Coast, Sierra, Amazon, and Galapagos Islands, and has 91 types of ecosystems.

The Dry Forest is a unique and fragile ecosystem of the coastal zone of Ecuador, made up of vegetation adapted to extreme climatic conditions due to the action of the Humboldt Current. These conditions result in xerophytic vegetation, rainfall concentrated in a few months of the year (>600 mm) and an average annual temperature of 24.9°C. This dry forest provides benefits (ecosystem services) to humans that are essential for life, well-being, and sustainable development.

This ecosystem is threatened: of the dry forests and tropical savannas that covered the provincial lands today, only 1% remains. The population of the Chongón-Colonche mountain range faces significant socioeconomic challenges, but also has significant potential for development based on sustainable use of its natural resources.

The project aims to consolidate the ecosystem management model of the Dry Forest Ecological Corridor of the Chongón-Colonche mountain range (located in the provinces of Manabí, Santa Elena, and Guayas) through a governance based on multi-level and inclusive co-responsibility of actors; the progressive inclusion of EbA in local plans, regulations, provincial and inter-provincial strategies and the promotion of an extensive geographical connection and broadened participation of actors.

The project will strengthen awareness and understanding of the importance of natural assets and ecosystem services in resilience and local development through training programmes and awareness raising events, development of practical guides and delivery of technical tools, creation of permanent spaces for debate, critical analysis and participatory decision-making.