State of Conservation

• heavy poaching of wildlife
• illegal livestock grazing
• encroachment along the Park's perimeter
• unplanned road construction
• ineffective management plan

Requests approved: 2 (from 1985-1993)
Total amount approved : 58,500 USD

March 1989: IUCN; June 1999: IUCN expert mission

WHC:

In a letter dated 6 February 2003, the Centre requested the State Party to submit a report on the conservation of the site. To date, no report has been received.

Sangay National Park is one of the sites included in the UN Foundation (UNF) financed IUCN/UNESCO pilot project “Enhancing Our Heritage: Monitoring and Managing for Success in World Natural Heritage Sites” (abbreviated as EOH Project). At its 25th session, the Committee requested to receive regular progress reports on the activities of the project. The project was developed in 2001 and the first phase of implementation commenced in April 2002. The project management in cooperation with the IUCN Regional Office for South America, organized two national workshops in order to discuss the development of indicators and benchmarks to monitor changes in the state of conservation of this site, as well as linking the monitoring with the timing of the possible removal of the site from the List of World Heritage in Danger.

The project report shows that various inventories and studies needed for developing such benchmarks and indicators are currently absent; they include: biological inventories, archaeological resources, socio-economic studies, stakeholders analysis, land tenure information, necessary budget for the adequate management of the Park, etc.

The key strengths and weaknesses in management identified by the project include:

·  In general the national legislation provides an adequate legal framework for the protected area. There are however several laws and sector policies that threaten the integrity of the area through the promotion of incompatible activities.

·  The zoning plan was designed and implemented without field verification or community consultation; subsequently there are several problems, including unresolved land tenure conflicts in the northern and southern Andean zones of the site.

·  Land tenure information remains incomplete and there are no strategies in place to resolve conflicts.

·  The Park’s management plan is generally ineffective and problematic. It is out of date and lacks indicators for analysing implementation and accomplishments. Local communities and Park staff lack familiarity with it, and the annual operations plan and monthly work plan are not guided by it.

·  Staff deficiencies are prevalent. The management capacity of the protected area is reduced due to insufficient staff numbers, skills and knowledge.

·  Deforestation is a problem in the Amazon zone of the site due to human settlements within and around the Park. Inappropriate agricultural practices, grazing activities, fishing and hunting within the park all contribute to this. However, a habitat quality assessment showed the natural vegetation of the Park is generally in good condition.

·  Enforcement limitations and institutional weakness reduce the capacity of the management authority.

Key priority needs identified through the management evaluation process include:

·  Urgent update and revision of the management plan of the site.

·  Development of a community liaison programme focusing on conflict resolution and building partnerships is needed to improve relations between the Park staff and the communities resident in and around the Park.

·  Development of the staff capacity in the management of the Park, including maintenance, monitoring, conflict resolution and enforcement.

·  Increased resources for operational costs and maintenance in the highlands where administration and implementation of services are unsatisfactory.

·  Sustainable development needs to be addressed through the development of an education programme and an alternative revenue generating strategy including a feasibility study of alternative income generation options.

·  A detailed socio-economic study of the communities within and near the Park should be prepared.

IUCN notes that Fundacion Natura, in conjunction with EcoCiencia and the Ministry of Environment, coordinates the evaluation process of the EOH Project. The project report includes results of the Fundacion Natura’s Sangay Project, originally presented in a document “Evaluacion de Eficiencia de Manejo del Parque Nacional Sangay” in 2002. The Sangay Project showed that the construction of a segment of the Guamote – Macas road in the Park threatens the integrity of the site and to mitigate this threat an intensified social and environmental monitoring and enforcement efforts are required.

IUCN:

The new information provided above has been proposed on a consensual basis between IUCN and the Centre.