Agroecology for farmers & nature health in Ecuador

For decades, wildfires have seriously affected the buffer zone of the Cambugán Forest Protected Area, located near the community of Jatumpamba in northern Ecuador. More than 2,000 hectares of land have been burned, mostly due to pasture expansion. The result is devastating the eastern mountain has lost about 95% of its native vegetation, leading to severe water shortages for both people and animals.

Since the year 2000, Fundación Cambugán, together with the Jatumpamba community, has worked tirelessly to protect water sources and restore native forests. With sustained community engagement, we have succeeded in conserving more than 4,000 hectares of native forest, one of the best-preserved ecosystems in the San José de Minas region.

However, the growing impact of climate change with longer and drier seasons has made wildfires even more destructive, reminding us how urgent it is to strengthen prevention and restoration efforts.

Community Education: The Power of Knowledge and Unity

On September 28, Fundación Cambugán organized the workshop “The Impact of Fire and the Conservation of Water Sources”. The event brought together 35 community members, university professors and students from the University of Bonn (Germany), Universidad San Francisco de Quito, and FLACSO, along with our technical team.

Participants divided into two working groups:

• Team 1 discussed how fire affects the community and identified areas most impacted by recent wildfires, their causes, and the actions needed to prevent and manage them safely.
• Team 2 mapped local water sources, their uses, and ongoing protection efforts. This process helped families recognize the importance of their water systems and inspired new ideas for improving wastewater management and water efficiency.

The high level of participation and knowledge shared from young people to elders showed how deeply the community values its natural resources and how collective action can lead to real change.

Restoration and Research: Bringing the Cambugán Forest Back to Life

The following Sunday, community paraecologists, researchers from the University of Göttingen, and Fundación Cambugán staff visited burned areas within the Cambugán Forest buffer zone.
Together, they assessed sites for monitoring, control, and ecological recovery and carried out dendroclimatology studies analyzing tree rings to understand past climate conditions and guide future conservation strategies.

These scientific and community-based efforts are crucial to prevent new fires, restore biodiversity, and secure the long-term protection of the Cambugán Forest and its vital water sources.

Thank You for Making This Possible

The progress in the Cambugán Forest exists because of people like you. Your donations have allowed Fundación Cambugán and the Jatumpamba community to:

• Protect 4,000 hectares of forest,
• Educate and empower local families, and
• Build resilience against wildfires and climate change.

But our work is far from done. With your continued support, we can restore burned areas, expand community education, and safeguard water for future generations.

A Glimpse Into Our Work at the Cambugán Forest

Each photo tells a piece of our story from community workshops and participatory mapping to field research and forest restoration. Together with the people of Jatumpamba, Fundación Cambugán continues protecting the Cambugán Forest, restoring burned areas, and safeguarding the water that sustains life. Your support makes these moments possible. 

Your generosity keeps the Cambugán Forest alive.
Please consider making a donation today to help us continue protecting forests, conserving water, and empowering communities.

Together, we are growing hope, one tree, one drop, one action at a time.

Links:

• Field visit to Cambugan Forest buffer zone with paraecologists

The eastern and southern buffer zones of the Cambugán Protected Forest are areas that experience recurring annual wildfires. These are largely due to local farming practices, where fire is traditionally used to clear agricultural waste. However, the combination of dry summer winds and the region’s steep to extremely steep slopes causes fires to spread easily and rapidly.

Thanks to a generous donation from GlobalGiving during the first quarter of this year, Cambugán was able to collaborate with the Selva Alegre Parish Council in the province of Imbabura to support the completion of a First Aid training course. This initiative aimed to strengthen community response capacity, particularly in vulnerable situations such as wildfires that endanger not only native flora and fauna but also the lives and livelihoods of nearby communities.

For the fourth quarter of 2025, we plan to implement additional fire prevention and mitigation activities to further reduce wildfire incidence in the territory. We will host a workshop and invite representatives from the communities most affected by fire-related issues, particularly in the buffer zones of the Cambugán and Paso Alto Protected Forests.

Your support can help us continue this vital work — empowering local communities, protecting biodiversity, and preventing environmental disasters before they start.

Links:

• Workshop with communities around Cambugan Protected Forest