{"id":2980,"date":"2024-09-30T17:11:04","date_gmt":"2024-09-30T15:11:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pkfeyerabend.org\/?p=2980"},"modified":"2024-10-01T15:33:53","modified_gmt":"2024-10-01T13:33:53","slug":"lauto-renforcement-du-territoire-de-vie-marin-cotier-de-la-commune-de-puerto-cabuyal-equateur-progresse-avec-la-construction-de-son-plan-de-vie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pkfeyerabend.org\/en\/2024\/09\/30\/lauto-renforcement-du-territoire-de-vie-marin-cotier-de-la-commune-de-puerto-cabuyal-equateur-progresse-avec-la-construction-de-son-plan-de-vie\/","title":{"rendered":"The self-strengthening of the marine-coastal territory of life of the municipality of Puerto Cabuyal (Ecuador) progresses with the construction of its Life Plan."},"content":{"rendered":"

This article offers a \u2018mid-term report\u2019 for a\u00a0self-strengthening initiative carried out by the municipality of Puerto Cabuyal, in Ecuador, with the support of the Feyerabend Foundation, the Fundaci\u00f3n Ser Ambiente and others. The initiative is centred around the development of the Life\u00a0Plan\u00a0for the community\u00a0and its marine-coastal territory of life. All began about a year ago with a review of existing information and the use of a mapping tool that, with the help of a volunteer geographer from France Volontariares, allowed to geo-reference more than 300 points throughout the territory of the municipality. The President of the municipality and many of its inhabitants took part in this process, which allowed everyone to reflect about\u00a0how and why territorial governance and management are crucial for subsistence, but also for the respect of local rights. This learning process, which has been participatory, bottom-up and respectful of community dynamics,\u00a0also allowed \u00a0Puerto Cabuyal to register its territory as a \u2018territory of life\u2019.<\/p>\n

The results of the geospatial and physical environment analyses reveal that in recent years the territory has been degrading and, in particular, fish and shrimp catches\u00a0have severely declined, affecting both subsistence and income. An alternative would be to engage in agriculture, but monocultures would likely degrade the local forest. A central aspect of developing a Life Plan is to reflect on sustainable productive alternatives compatible with conserving biodiversity that, as all agree, is the greatest local treasure. In the analysis and reflection, women have taken an unprecedented central role, which is most appropriate as only they seem to be able to motivate the community to act for the future of its territory of life\u2026 before it is too late.<\/p>\n

So far, the residents who took part in the collective reflection on the future are committed to consolidate and decide their Life Plan, establish the rules of access to their territory and resources, the kind of uses that are appropriate, etc. This is important for them but also to orient future donors and collaborators concerned about conservation, sustainable livelihoods and wellbeing.\u00a0As both the municipality and the Fundaci\u00f3n Ser Ambiente are Members of the ICCA Consortium and part of the Ecuador ICCA Network, it has been natural for the community to use the Consortium’s self-strengthening process guide<\/u><\/a>. It has also been possible to meet other indigenous members of the Consortium in Ecuador, such as the Cof\u00e1n, Seikpai and Kichwa Nationalities of the Amazon region, and exchange experiences with them on their history, and on ways to conserve and make sustainable use of biodiversity. \u00a0The Fundaci\u00f3n Ecuatoriana\u00a0por\u00a0la Equidad has supported these exchanges and more, and the ALDEA organization has facilitated important gender analysis and activities.<\/p>\n

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