Fundación Comité Ecológico del Litoral

Work areas

Main CEPA activities

- Raising awareness of wetland communities,

- Coordination with governmental bodies to promote Ramsar CEPA action plan,

- Representation in national and international forums,

- Collaboration with CEPA programme in Ramsar Convention (2006-2009 civil society representation in the CEPA International Oversight Panel).

- Member of the National Ramsar Council

Three main achievements

- Awareness-raising and involvement of the Santay Island wetland community in the declaration process

- Declaration of Wetland 1041 Isla Santay as a wetland of global importance,

- Elaboration of the Santay Island Wetland Management Plan.

Three main challenges

The management of Santay Island was granted, for political reasons, to the Malecón 2000 Foundation, an institution linked to the hegemonic political party in the city of Guayaquil. Our work, although it reached the goal of the declaration, was threatened for several years by the mismanagement of the island by this foundation. Today it is managed by the Ecuadorian state, as an emblematic ecological project. Lesson learned: do not underestimate organisations with political power.

- The Manglares project had as one of its three objectives to push for the prosecution of illegal mangrove logging in Ecuador. All competent courts, including the Supreme Court, declined or declined to hear the cases (more than 300), due to a lack of precedents to guide due process. Lesson learned: there was a lack of analysis prior to the formulation of the project proposal, regarding the possibilities of excusing the courts, in order to cover this alternative of the judicial function.

- Our organisation opposed the heavy crude oil pipeline (OCP) route and suggested a better route that would not affect sensitive areas. A few years later, a green fund for this pipeline was set up, which, in its second call for proposals, through the National Environmental Fund, supported projects in wetlands. A proposal was submitted that would provide CEPA activities to 6 of the 12 wetlands in Ecuador, with a "national priority" endorsement from the Ministry of Environment. The proposal was pre-qualified and, subsequently, no further notification was received, being inexplicably discarded from the process. Lesson learned: (1) do not underestimate the selection of "friendly foundations" that takes place in the offices of private companies; (2) do not (better) participate or follow up intensively, when funds have been constituted with money from entities with which there have been unresolved issues.