Restauración ecológica en Ecuador: Evaluación de avances y desafíos en la selección de especies y estrategias de implementación

Abstract

Abstract: Ecological restoration is the result of a strategy to face environmental challenges, including the loss of biodiversity, where the main problem lies in the limitations for the use of native forest species in restoration and reforestation projects, the objective of this research is to identify the advances and challenges in the use of native species in restoration and reforestation projects in the province of Loja, determine the ecosystems and the main goals and strategies applied in ecological restoration projects. In order to obtain information, an inventory of forest restoration and reforestation initiatives within the study area between June and August 2023 was taken into account, and a survey was conducted with the people in charge of the executing institutions. The main results obtained showed that the human activities previously developed in the sites included forest plantations, other actions related to revegetation were the planting of naturalized species that initiate the ecological succession, however, there is vulnerability to pests and diseases facing challenges in the implementation of new species. In conclusion, the use of native plants in the locality faces limitations in the supply of seeds due to the lack of policies that support the use of these species and the lack of support from the authorities in terms of financing.