http://arcoiris.org.ec/ Arcoiris News English RSS http://www.arcoiris.org.ec/english/news/6.php http://www.arcoiris.org.ec/english/news/6.php This July 26th in Huaquillas, El Oro, Ecuador, the Federation of Artisan Fishermen "Frontera Sur" and Arcoiris Ecologic Foundation organized various activities to bring attention to the important mangrove forest ecosystem and celebrate the International Day of the Mangrove. Educational talks, puppet shows, mangrove tours, parades, ecologic murals, drawing competitions, and open discussions were all part of the actions to create awareness about conserving the nearby mangrove forests. The municipal government of Huaquillas, including mayor Manuel Aguirre and the city councilors, helped out as well by holding a public town hall meeting in the park "El Agarrobo". Here the Community Forest Protection project was announced, an initiative that will include the entire coast of Huaquillas County. The ground breaking ceremony was also held for for the construction of "La Casa del Pescador", or The Fishermen's House, which will be built with the help of the local government. Both of these events represent a huge success for the traditional fishermen working for the conservation of this ecosystem. The participation of government officials, schools, fishermen, and the general public in each one of the events all contributed to the day's success. The initiative and dedication shown by the fishermen in the development of the activities was also crucial in Arcoiris's organization of the Day of the Mangrove. From here, Arcoiris faces new challenges in supporting the local government of Huaquillas as they organize the fourth Binational Congress of Tourism, which will take place in September. Arcoiris will also be working in Huaquillas on two new projects financed by the Belgian Embassy; one on environmental education and the other on properly managing shellfish in the area. All of the combined efforts of local fishermen, the government of Huaquillas, international cooperation, and Arcoiris Ecologic Foundation will continue to work to achieve proper conservation of mangrove forests in the province of El Oro. http://www.arcoiris.org.ec/english/news/5.php http://www.arcoiris.org.ec/english/news/5.php Local fishing organizations in Hualtaco, El Oro, recently joined forces in order to develop the alternative tourism proposition called the "Route of the Mangrove". The objective of this project is to properly manage the resources of the mangrove forests of the region, while at the same time generating income for the fishermen who live off of these resources. They plan to identify the cultural, natural, and archeological sites which may be of interest to tourists, as well as build typical tourist accomodations in the area. A fund will be created to help implement conservation and sustainable development activities, improving the quality of life in this traditional fishing region. http://www.arcoiris.org.ec/english/news/4.php http://www.arcoiris.org.ec/english/news/4.php At the end of June, representatives from various organizations from the provinces of Riobamba, Azuay, Cañar, Morona Santiago, Zamora Chinchipe, and Loja all met in Cañar to share their experiences with the projects they're running financed by the Small Donations Program (PPD). The Small-Time Miner's Association of La Pangui, Congüime, and Arcoiris presented about the successes of their work in Chinapintza to reduce the environmental impact of small-time mining operations. Other organizations presented projects about agroforestry, the conservation of water, and the rehabilitation of animal and plant species. Lastly, each organization shared its strategy for carrying out its projects, and demonstrated how each was environmentally sustainable. http://www.arcoiris.org.ec/english/news/3.php http://www.arcoiris.org.ec/english/news/3.php On June 29th, the organizations of the fishing division of Hualtaco celebrated the Day of the Fisherman. After a parade throughout the main streets of Huaquillas, a festival began at the Fisherman's Monument in the center of town. This included a celebration of traditional food, presentations by artists, and a few rounds of sports being played, among other festivities. The top authorities of Huaquillas even came out to endorse the event, making a public commitment to continue to support this sector in terms of mangrove forest conservation and improving the quality of life of the fisherman. http://www.arcoiris.org.ec/english/news/2.php http://www.arcoiris.org.ec/english/news/2.php The fishing division of Port Hualtaco, together with Arcoiris, recently held a meeting with Dr. Marcelo Torres, the Executive Director of the Bi-National Plan. He presented the current situation of the fishermen at the meeting, with respect to their social, economic, and environmental status. He also made several sustainable development proposals for the fishermen represented by the Huaquimar Cooperative, the Nuevo Milenio Cooperative, the 15 de Enero Association, the 10 de Agosto Association, the Jambelí Archipelago Association, the Costa Rica Association, and the 9 de Octubre Association. Dr. Torres also exposed the social development directives of the National Government, which aim to reduce poverty in the most vulnerable areas. The fishing division of Hualtaco even presented their own proposals for the sustainable development of the area. http://www.arcoiris.org.ec/english/news/1.php http://www.arcoiris.org.ec/english/news/1.php Between February and June of 2009, the Association of Crab Fisherman "15 de Enero", with technical assistance from Arcoiris and support from the Municipality of Huaquillas, will elaborate on their management plan for the mangrove forests of Hualtaco. The information will be brought up in workshops, meetings, trips to the field, tours, interviews, and surveys. This same method was used to define 15 proposals represented in the prior programs of Conservation, Sustainable Development, and Negotiation and Administration. This plan is part of a larger project, called "The Social Agreement for the Recovery and Management of the Resources of the Peru Border Region of Port Hualtaco, El Oro Province", which is financed by the Small Donations Program (PPD).