Spanish
Guayaquil (Ecuador).- The Ecuadorian government declared the Runahurco area, a territory of 72,061 hectares located in the Amazonian province of Morona Santiago, as a new Water Protection Area (APH), with the aim of conserving the water sources that exist in the place, which will also feed four future hydroelectric projects, the Ministry of Environment and Energy reported this Saturday.
APHs are territories where water sources are declared to be of public interest for their maintenance, conservation, and protection, which supply human consumption or guarantee food sovereignty, they are part of the National System of Protected Areas of Ecuador.
Runahurco, a local conservation area, extends through at least nine localities in Morona Santiago and has 21 water use permits for human consumption, directly benefiting more than 14,700 inhabitants, according to ministry data.
Furthermore, it is an essential area for the biological connectivity of the Sangay–Podocarpus corridor, considered one of the most important in the country. Its territory is home to seven types of natural ecosystems, including the Montane Evergreen Forest, Páramo Grassland, Evergreen Shrubland and Páramo Grassland, and Piedmont Evergreen Forest.
It is also a key space for scientific research, biodiversity monitoring, and environmental education.
By means of this conservation declaration, the Government will be able to develop four hydroelectric projects which, according to the ministry, will provide 100 megawatts of clean energy to the National Interconnected System.
"The declaration guarantees the protection and sustainable management of the water sources located in this area, thus ensuring the availability of the water resource necessary for the future operation of these plants," stated the state portfolio. EFE
