Project Area
Fondo de Manejo de Paramos y Lucha Contra La Pobreza de Tungurahua (Management of the Tungurahua Paramos and the Fight Against Poverty - FMPLPT), was created by the Indigenous and Farmer Movements of Tungurahua in central Ecuador to restore and conserve the Páramo ecosystem for water security. The province of Tungurahua, located in central Ecuador, is one of the most densely populated regions in the country with 172 inhabitants per km2. Additionally, the extreme climate of the western part of the province causes an annual water deficit in the Ambato River basin of about 40% during the dry season. More than 90% of the region's water comes from the Páramo, but it is one of the most vulnerable water storage and distribution ecosystems in Ecuador. Páramo soils play a crucial role in collecting water from fog, rain, and glacial run-off by releasing water slowly into the lower-lying areas.

Project Goals
The water-related objectives of this restoration project emphasize the importance of conserving the Páramo and recovering lands degraded by intensive grazing, farming, and the planting of non-native tree species. The people of the indigenous highland Kichwa communities, including the women, play an active role in the design, execution, monitoring, and evaluation of the water management plans. Long-term project goals include:

• Restoration and conservation of Polylepis forests and other high altitude native forest species in the Tungurahua Landscape.
• Contribute to the sustainable management of 33,750 hectares of Páramo.
• Improvement in the quality of life of 15,000 families within the local communities interconnected to these ecosystems.
• Environmental training of 30,000 people through the process of ecological restoration of native high altitude forest species in order to ensure water security for current and future generations.

Current Results
Native Trees Planted: 110,000
Hectares Restored: 123
Nurseries Built & Maintained: 2
Communities Involved: 5
2022-2023 Tree Planting Projection: 175,000