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Ceiba Stands in Solidarity
Updates from Ecuador, Thank you Monica, Sandy Beach Research
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Ceiba has worked for years with underprivileged communities in Ecuador, and we are deeply committed to environmental justice. We applaud the contribution of the Black Lives Matter movement to a much-needed international conversation about racial injustice. The Foundation is committed to honestly analyzing and challenging our own biases, and to enacting concrete solutions that support black and indigenous people of color, and their rights to equal access to justice, education, and the environment. Over the coming months we will be enhancing opportunities for people of color and underserved communities to participate in Ceiba's education programs. |
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Impacts of Covid-19 in rural Manabí |
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A recipient of our Covid-19 relief package. Photo by Kelly van Gils. |
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Thanks to our generous donors we were able to support a total of 212 families in 5 different communities, and the health center in Jama with 40 KN95 masks for the medical staff and additional masks for the community at the temporary health center in Tabuga. In Ecuador, the virus spread quickly, forcing the government to impose strict lockdown measures to ensure safety. Even though we have not had many Covid-19 patients in the Jama area, the imposed lockdown had major economic consequences for people that work in the informal economy and earn a 'day-to-day' income. Currently, restriction measures are easing little by little and local businesses are able to open up, but the region has gone through some very difficult months.
As we have a strong connection with the communities surrounding the Lalo Loor Dry Forest Reserve, where some of the most vulnerable people in Ecuador live, we felt indebted to offer our support to them. Together with the Reserve and leaders of surrounding local communities, we were able to identify the most vulnerable families. Their primary needs included food, mainly fresh fruit and vegetables, reliable information about the coronavirus, soap and facemasks (which have been made obligatory by the government). Our donors helped make a huge difference in the communities!
All of the families had a story to tell. For example: José would normally go out fishing, but with the markets closing he now had difficulties providing for his 8-month pregnant wife and their 4 children. It was heartwarming to see that community members not only support each other, but also the people who arrived before the lockdown began. For example, Nancy and her daughter: Nancy had just arrived to the area to look for work, but due to the closure of businesses and the ban on transport she was neither able to find work nor go back to her family in Esmeraldas. We are so grateful for the support of our generous donors. You allowed us to support families like those of José and Nancy and we will continue to look for ways to stimulate the resilience of the communities.
Thank you so much for your support!
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Monica identifying orchids at the Lalo Loor Reserve.
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Monica Navarro has retired as Ceiba’s legal representative in Ecuador after volunteering in this essential role for more than 20 years. Monica was the President of the Quito Orchid Society when she joined forces with Ceiba to support the creation of El Pahuma Orchid Reserve, Ceiba’s first conservation project, in 1998. Monica is a professional garden designer, and donated her time to plan El Pahuma’s self-guided trail, train reserve staff in orchid care, and rally orchid enthusiasts around the world to raise funds for the reserve’s creation. Monica helped Ceiba grow by joining our board in 2002, and gave us her trust and confidence as she took on legal responsibility for the foundation’s operations in Ecuador. We are forever grateful to Monica Navarro for her contributions, and we wish her a happy, relaxing, and productive future!
Please join me in thanking Monica Navarro by signing this eCard for delivery on July 17th.
Link to group ecard:
https://www.openme.com/syXqx
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Interns Piper (right) and Isa (left) collecting beach impact data. Photo by Kelly van Gils. |
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In February and March we continued with data collection on several sandy beaches in the Conservation and Sustainable Use Area (ACUS) for our beach impact survey. The ACUS of northwestern Manabí is emerging as the first conservation area in Ecuador that protects coastal and marine ecosystems, at the level of local municipalities. In order to understand our impact on the local environments better and make informed decisions, we have expanded our efforts to the sandy beaches of the area.
Sandy beaches are one of the most important coastal resources worldwide, and are highly impacted by the presence of humans. Ghost crabs have been shown to be effective biological indicators for the ecological impacts of humans. We have started to collect data on 7 different beaches representing high or low human impact. Kelly and a group of students would visit the beaches in the morning during low tide and count crab holes and plastic pieces (among other indicators) in set out quadrats. They also record numbers of people, vehicles, and boats present on the beach, to compare the health of different sandy beaches in the area. The field research will continue together with beach clean-ups and environmental education efforts as soon as possible. In the meantime, we will continue to offer possibilities to learn and stay connected through online internships.
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CAN YOU CONTRIBUTE TO CONSERVATION? |
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We recognize that this is a difficult time for many and we hope that you are all staying safe and healthy. Your support means everything to us and none of the work we do would be possible without you! As we all work to rebuild during this stressful time, it's important to remember that our choices matter. Conserving threatened ecosystems is more important now than ever. From undiscovered medical uses, to helping prevent climate disaster, saving forests can help us combat current and future problems. Ceiba is working with landowners and local governments in Ecuador to make sustainable choices a reality. With your support, we will provide communities the resources they need to pursue a more sustainable future. Please join others who have made Ceiba a top-rated nonprofit, and make your gift today.
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Ceiba Foundation for Tropical Conservation
301 S. Bedford Street, Suite 7A
Madison, WI 53703
Tel: (608) 230-5550
Email: mail@ceiba.org
www.ceiba.org
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