Environmental Policies Ecuador is known as the country that is in the middle of the world. It Is also known to be a place with the most unique and most diverse ecosystem, wildlife and plant species. In order to protect this beautiful and unique environment, an extensive system of national parks, protected land areas and scientific laboratories was created. The Basic Environment Principles were also created during 1993 which stated that each person in Ecuador was responsible and obligated to contribute to the preservation of the country. Shortly after in 1996, the Ministry of Environment was created to coordinate the policies put in place. The ministry was created due to international environmental issues and they hoped to promote international policies to help protect the environment. In order to get public and private parties to participate in the set specific guidelines, the Law of Environmental Management was passed in 1999. This law was beneficial because it educated Ecuadorians and other international parties about waste management, sustainable technology, and respect for native cultures and practices.
Bus System The capital of Ecuador, Quito, was established as a World Cultural Heritage. The center of the city is primarily business central and about 14% of motorized vehicles visit the capital. In 2000, the population of Quito was reported to be around 1.5 million and of that 250,000 vehicles were owned or driven by the population. Of those vehicles 25% were car owners and the other 75% were bus and trolley transportation, known as “colectivos” and “busetas”. The buses that were operated were primarily privately owned by private companies. The buses were usually operated by unlicensed operators which were operated at night and outside of the marginal areas of the city. The buses operated in 1991 were very overcrowded, old, slow, noisy and poorly maintained. The buses also ran on diesel which contributed to the pollution of the ecosystem. Once the buses were completely ran down, they were used as scrap metal.
After public concern continued to arise, developing more efficient, clean, and affordable bus systems were introduced. The preservation and protection of the cities historical value was also put into consideration when developing a new bus system. Although the old buses had issues, the updated and new bus systems did not replace them due to a lack of funding. In 1996, two bus systems were implemented to help improve the transportation conditions in Ecuador; the trolebus system and the Econia System. The trolebus systems were electronically powered trolleys that ran through the north-south spine of the city. Passengers of this bus system pay a flat rate, transferable fee. In order to lessen the congestion on the roads, busways received their own lanes which are monitored by the police. These designated lanes prevent taxis and other modes of transportation from entering the bus lanes. The Econia System is primarily operated by private operators. This busway system is located in the center of the roads with two lanes. I’m order to improve this mode of transportation, 15 stops are typically made. This system further improved transportation due to its high capacity rates, decreased congestion, high efficiency, And lowered costs. The bus system provided frequent, reliable and rapid services and decreased the amount of releases pollution emissions.
Natural Disasters Ecuador often experiences natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location along the Ring of Fire, causing high volumes of seismic activity. In the past 120 years, Ecuador has experienced at least seven magnitude 7 and above earthquakes. In 2016 Ecuador experiences a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that recasted the country. An average of 500+ civilians were killed and 4,000 were injured. It was reported to be the worst tragedy experienced in the last 60 years.
Over the past 200 years has also experienced 21 volcanic eruptions. These natural disasters have killed over 5,300 civilians, destroyed countless properties and caused significant financial damages. It was reported that these eruptions have cost Ecuador $2 to $3 billion dollars and has destroyed about 90% of development. Out of the 22 volcanoes located in Ecuador, 20 of them are still considered to be active.
Cotopaxi The volcanos that belong on the Northern volcanic zones were created by subduction of the Nazca Pacific Oceanic plate and the colliding of the continental plates, called the Ecuadorian Andes. The Andes range in heights from 4,921 feet to 20,701 feet. The highest volcanic mountain being Chimborazo, a permanently snow capped mountain. It is so high that it can be seen from Guayaquil on a clear, cloud free day. It is also considered to be the highest point of Earth.
The four chains of volcanos remain active with very few extinct. Cotopaxi, 60 km away from Quito, is one of the most active as well as most famous volcanoes in Ecuador. At 5911 m it is the highest active volcano. Since 1738, eruptions of Cotopaxi have occurred more than fifty times. Many of these eruptions causing pyroclastic and destructive mud flows. For 70 years the volcano remained dormant up until 2015. Scientists noticed there was surface activity such as degassing, steaming and ash emissions occurring. Seismic activity became baseline. Scientists have been monitoring the volcano and believed that magma was slowly rising inside, although magma eruptions had not occurred. As small amounts of emissions continued to produce, seismic activity remained low and lava flow did not occur. On August 14, 2015, the volcano erupted. There were six strong eruptions and pyroclastic flows occurred. A state of emergency was out in effect and more than 400 people were evacuated.
Cloud Forests Cloud forests are very rare, they make up about 1% of the worlds woodlands and there are currently 272 cloud forest sites in the Caribbean. They are called cloud forests due to the constant mist coverage of the vegetation. The high amounts of moisture along with warm and dry seasons of cloud forests promotes very rich biomass and biodiversity. The greatest amounts of endemic and threatened species can be found here. Cloud forests are home to about 10% of birds, it is a very bird endemic area.
These forests provide both environmental services as well as socioeconomic services. The beauty, diversity and uniqueness of these forests attract ecotourism which contribute to Ecuador’s revenue. Cloud forests help to stabilize water quality as well as quantity. They maintain the natural flows of streams due to the collection of water from the clouds. It has been reported that without cloud forests, 33% of water would be decreased. Furthermore, these forests are important because they reduce the occurrences of flash floods and ensures that rainfall is collected and absorbed into the water table. Important crops and medication ingredients can be found throughout the vegetation of cloud forests, for example, tomatoes and headache remedies can be found. The longer cloud forests remain, the more crops continue to improve.
Unfortunately cloud forests are very vulnerable to climate change and human impacts. Deforestation, farming, fire, infrastructure development and climate change threaten these pristine ecosystems. Development and farming has led to an increase of wildlife predation and habitat loss. Climate change has especially led to the extinction of some cloud forests. Alien species have also begun to take over these forests, killing off endemic species and destroying its biodiversity. About 86% of cloud forests are found in the Global 200 priority regions of conservation by the World Wide Fund. In order to continue to try to conserve and protect the forests, nature reserves, protected watersheds and other protective measures have been created.
Other than the Galápagos Islands, I am very excited to visit the cloud forest. I love seeing the beauty and uniqueness of nature and I can only imagine how beautiful these forests really are in person. I hate the fact that these ecosystems are threatened so badly and that one day they could all vanish. Being able to experience and see this in person is something that I am very excited to cross off my bucket list and I am very excited to learn more about these forests first hand.
Water Crisis 97.5% of water on Earth is salt water, unfit for human consumption. In today’s society, all around the world, freshwater is taken for granted. Latin America is currently facing a water crisis. The glaciers are melting, sea-level rise is increasing, and freshwater availability is becoming scarce as demand grows. Having access to fresh water and health services is the key factors of a countries economic growth and war on poverty. Under a national standard, a country can purify 20% of its surface water for human consumption. If the water quality does not meet the national standard, it can only be used for non-consumption needs.
Unfortunately, the freshwater that is abundantly available is often being contaminated by industrial waste and sewage, farm irrigation, and Mercury and landfill pollution. These contaminants are affecting the waters quality and eventually human health. An estimated 77,000 children in Latin America and the Caribbean have died from water related illnesses due to unsanitary drinking water. Sadly, water has become a luxury for those who can afford it and has become privatized amongst the richer civilians. Privatizing water has kept the poor from having any access to fresh water. In addition, it has forced people to pay 10x the normal cost of water. Water and sewage systems are very difficult to get in very underdeveloped areas. The only way they have access to freshwater is through water truck transport. Some countries, such as Chile, are promoting the use of clocks in showers to save water, energy and money. Countries all over the world have developed their own methods of water preservation but it’s getting people to care that is the biggest and most important method of all.