Del Potencial a la Acción: OMEC y Conservación Inclusiva en Ecuador

The report examines Ecuador's conservation landscape, highlighting the tension between a strong legal framework for biodiversity and a dominant extractivist economic model. It evaluates various conservation modalities, including the SNAP and OECMs, and argues that for OECMs to be truly inclusive, they must move beyond symbolic recognition to provide tangible benefits, secure land tenure, and respect the self-determination of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

• Ecuador's conservation efforts are divided between the National System of Protected Areas (SNAP), which covers over 19% of the national territory (approximately 26.3 million ha), and other modalities managed by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition (MAATE) or other actors.
• Extractivism remains a primary threat to biodiversity and inclusive conservation, with 6,322 mining concessions covering approximately 4.3 million ha (16.4% of the country) as of 2024.
• Indigenous Territories (TI) cover approximately 31.7% of the continental territory (8,150,835 ha) and are highly effective at preventing deforestation, maintaining over 90% of natural cover compared to 39% degradation outside these areas.
• The Socio Bosque Program (PSB) is the most robust monetary incentive for conservation, covering 1,785,551 ha (6.94% of continental territory) through payments to landowners, though its effectiveness is mixed and it excludes those without secure legal land tenure.
• As of 2025, five areas have been formally recognized as OECMs in Ecuador: Reserva Río Anzu, Reserva Drácula, Reserva Yacuma, Ruku Kawsay, and Urku Samayo.
• There is a significant financial gap in the management of the SNAP; while it requires between USD 74.1 and 108.8 million annually, it only receives USD 21.7 million, with 62% of that coming from international cooperation.
• Local actors, including Indigenous and peasant communities, prioritize land tenure security and the defense of territories against extractivism over monetary incentives.
• The absorption of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition (MAATE) by the Ministry of Energy and Mines in August 2025 is viewed as a prioritization of the extractivist agenda over conservation.
• The 'Territories of Life' (TICCA) framework is used by some Indigenous groups as an alternative to OECMs to maintain self-determination and avoid imposing external state or international logics.

APA

Crespo, J. M., Falconi, E., & Lobo, R. (2025). Del Potencial a la Acción: OMEC y Conservación Inclusiva en Ecuador. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1808/Final_Ecuador_Country_Report.pdf

Chicago

Crespo, Juan Manuel, Esteban Falconi, and Rafaella Lobo. Del Potencial a la Acción: OMEC y Conservación Inclusiva en Ecuador. WWF International, 2025. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1808/Final_Ecuador_Country_Report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Crespo |first1=Juan Manuel |last2=Falconi |first2=Esteban |last3=Lobo |first3=Rafaella |title=Del Potencial a la Acción: OMEC y Conservación Inclusiva en Ecuador |publisher=WWF International |date=December 2025 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1808/Final_Ecuador_Country_Report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{crespo2025del, author = {Crespo, Juan Manuel and Falconi, Esteban and Lobo, Rafaella}, title = {{Del Potencial a la Acción: OMEC y Conservación Inclusiva en Ecuador}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2025}, month = dec, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1808/Final_Ecuador_Country_Report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }