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DEVELOPING SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN RURAL EQUADOR

by Jonathan Williams, joint winner of the 2004 Student Travel Award

So why Ecuador? And why voluntary work?

Over and above the lure of travel in an exotic and far away country, I wanted to put into practice some of the technologies that I had studied in my engineering course at the University of Strathclyde.   So it seemed the perfect opportunity to carry out some voluntary work in a developing country where this knowledge could be put to good use.   My trip was organised through an Edinburgh-based charity, Challenges Worldwide, who send people with particular skills to different countries - and as I wanted to try my hand at learning Spanish, Ecuador was the place for me.

Ecuador is a small South American country with a population of 12 million, noted for an enormous biodiversity in a relatively small area. When describing Scotland to Ecuadorians the thing that always drew the most extreme reaction was that we have 4 seasons and how the daylight hours change so dramatically throughout the year, with people travelling to and from work practically in the dark in winter and almost having no real night time at the height of summer.   Ecuador is right on the Equator so the variation in daylight hours is imperceptible.

The capital, Quito, famous for its colonial architecture is at a latitude of 1° S.   The geography of the country can be simplified to three main zones - the coast, the mountains and the jungle.   Here you get an idea of the diversity - five hours on a bus takes you through completely different landscapes, histories, cuisines and most dramatically people.   The coastal “costeños” tend to be very lively and outgoing, in the sierra, the “serranos” are much more conservative, whereas people from the jungle and their strange languages are a source of mystery for many city dwellers.   There’s quite a lot of distrust and suspicion between the various groups and it was often said that football is the only thing that can unite the nation.

The most common language there is Spanish, though Quechua, the language of the Incas, is common in the mountains, with many words crossing over to be used in the Ecuadorian form of Spanish. In the jungle there are many different languages and dialects, as used by the different indigenous tribes.   Some of these tribes are completely closed to the outside world (and very hostile to intruders), others have embraced ecotourism, and some have been displaced by both multinational and state owned oil companies.

San Luis de Pambil, Bolivar Province.

For my three-month stint I was based in a little town called San Luis de Pambil in the inland costal area, a long way from any established tourist routes.   Like any small Ecuadorian town, life centres around the square and its volley ball courts, shops, church and Sunday market.   I was the seventh volunteer to be based with the Non Government Organisation called Corporazion Red Arborizadora Campo y Progresivo (CRACYP) - or the Reforestation Network for Rural Development - which is run by brothers Raul and Carlos Cabrera. Although small and lacking in resources, its influence has been far reaching, providing 1000 people in 12 small towns with banking facilities and stable wages. They have managed this by providing employment through exportation of plantains (or big green bananas), the distillation of sugar cane to produce antiseptic products and the development of community-based ecotourism, in which I was to become involved.

When I first arrived at the town, I found that I was really in awe of the lifestyle led by the people.   Plantain, sugar cane, mangos, pineapple and oranges form the economy, and for young people there are few opportunities other than a hard life farming.   As a gringo in this town I received mixed reactions, with some people very suspicious of my motives and others much more open.  

Plantain farming is a tough life, Monday and Tuesday are cut days when the crops are collected from the plantations then processed, checked and boxed.   I remember helping with the operation one night when they were rushing to fill the overnight lorry so it could get to the ferry in time the next morning.   The plantains are packed to make up 25kg boxes and checked for (a) shape and (b) spiders.   The consignment was supposed to be 170 boxes but by 1am we were 3 boxes short so the guys, after a 15 hr shift, went rushing off into the darkness to cut more crop - I was put to bed thoroughly exhausted after only 4hrs of this heavy work.   For the farmers Sunday is rest day, typically spent with the family or lounging around drinking beer at the market in San Luis.

Life as a Volunteer

My first month in San Luis overlapped with the last month of two previous volunteers, Hannah and Vicky.   We lived with my boss Raul and his Columbian wife Anisita and their kids Armando (four) and Sebastian (seven).   Volunteers are based at the bottom of the garden in a shed/office which opens onto the main street, directly opposite the chainsaw mechanic who likes to start very early in the morning.

Anisita is a fantastic cook, so we were spared the lack of variety which typifies some Ecuadorian cooking, normally only eating rice once or twice instead of three times a day, but supplemented with delicacies such as Columbian maize cakes and various soups, once made with a chicken whose legs I held that morning while its throat was cut.   Typically the Ecuadorian diet is fairly repetitive, with one staple depending on which area you live.   One of the best things was the quality of the fresh fruit available - there are few things quite as delicious as a huge chunk of local papaya or a whole pineapple ready to eat on a lollypop stick.   These would often be bought on a bus from one of the road side vendors, who actually keep the country rolling as everyone but the very wealthy goes by bus or by shared truck.

Overall life in the agricultural heartlands of Western Ecuador seemed very far removed from the luxuries and norms that we have become used to in the UK.

Projects

Before setting off for Ecuador initial plans for the project focused on implementing intermediate technologies on a local level.   The two key challenges were (i) matching solutions responsibly to the needs of the community and (ii) doing this in an appropriate way with the resources available.

The key project was to help develop a CRACYP-sponsored, community-based ecotourism project just outside the town in a 10km long valley called Piedra Blanca (“White Rock”).   The valley is incredibly beautiful, hosting numerous species of wildlife in its primary temperate forest, especially at the top of the valley where the slopes are inclined at 60°.   The valley is also home to around 20 families who maintain a slim living through growing crops and keeping animals that are traded at the Sunday market in San Luis.   However, this basic income can be supported through hunting and cutting down the forest in which they live.

The aim of the project is to provide an alternative and viable source of income to the families in the valley. Based next to the Piedra Blanca School, an ecotourism lodge and kitchen had been built by a previous group of US volunteers.   Revenue from future national and international tourists visiting Piedra Blanca will be split among those in the community not involved in logging activities.

Eco-baños

A main part of the project was to design and build a shower and bathroom block for the ecotourism project.   The site selected was adjacent to the existing lodge and had to serve the lodge’s estimated maximum capacity of 20 guests.   Initial designs were grander than what was eventually built.   However the core function of showers, urine separating composting toilets, wash hand basins and a sustainable drainage system were constructed using a timber frame with bamboo cladding.

The build took around 10 days with input from the local community. Mixing concrete by hand was heavy work and unfortunately not particularly ecologically sensitive.   If I were to repeat such a project I would design out the full concrete foundation and use an elevated timber floor.   However, given the constraints (accepted local wisdom, time) I think we did a good job.

The ecolodge is not yet in full operation but the first tourists have been visiting the Piedra Blanca valley on a very small scale, which I think is what is required for such a tiny, unspoilt area.   The first groups of three and four people have used home stay accommodation, which is another aspect of the ecotourism project.   The revenue from these visitors goes towards finishing the lodge (buying beds and mosquito nets) and demonstrating to the local community the benefits of such a venture.

The debate around the pros and cons of ecotourism is quite contentious.   When done sensitively on a small scale, with the support and involvement of those local people who own the projec,t it can be successful, serving to support those communities and the eco-systems on which they depend.   I sincerely hope that the project in Piedra Blanca can achieve this in the long term.

Solar Collectors

Two types of solar hot water heaters were created by this project.   Firstly old industrial radiators were turned into panels for use at the ecobanos in Piedra Blanca and secondly a much more low cost version was produced using materials readily available to the local people.

The budget solar collector used plastic bottles and black hose pipe to form a solar panel which shares the same fundamental function as the solar panels installed on buildings in the UK.   However, instead of using pumps and electronics to control the water flow in the system, a thermo-siphon set up was used, where the water heating in the pipes causes the water to flow around the circuit - the key point being that the water tank must be higher up than the panel itself.

The version for the Piedra Blanca eco-banos used old radiators, which were sanded, cleaned out, bent, pressed and painted black before being placed in an insulated cedar wood box (manufactured from an old workbench) with a glass front to trap the heat.   The construction was as tight as possible to minimise heat losses from the system.   The preparation to re-use those old radiators took weeks of work and if I were to do it again I would choose different radiators or build the system from scratch.

Designing the solar collectors (both the economical bottle type and the sturdier radiator version) within the constraints of the available materials and funds was an engaging process.   This coupled with the time and commitment required to make prototypes and final models was a genuine challenge.   Everything was done in the bottom of Raul and Anisita's garden with interested visitors and plantain farmers regularly dropping by to see what the crazy gringo was currently working on.  

Finding and preparing reclaimed materials (e.g. plastics bottles, radiators) in such a way to give a reasonable performance (i.e. hot water through good system efficiency and functionality) put into practice some theory learnt in class and indeed was the only time when I used any equations.   Perseverance was required in this process and Raul was often a great help in providing support and ideas.   Sometimes this preparation aspect was very draining in terms of personal motivation, due to the repetitive and time-consuming work.

Finally explaining, justifying and promoting the systems and theory in a new language was an interesting process.   Now I can talk with some confidence about how the systems function and how to get the best out of them.   This is in stark contrast to the initial few days of drawing diagrams badly explained by stammering Spanish.

The most personally satisfying part of the entire project was taking the budget solar heating systems on a tour of the local markets.   Here with the help of Lorena who works with CRACYP, we demonstrated to the local people this intermediate technology in action and gave out information sheets on how to produce similar results for a low price.   The look of astonishment shown by some people on learning how the sun could be used to heat water was quite incredible.   I now know that some of these people have now made their own systems and put them into use for domestic purposes.

Conclusion

Foremost, I’m extremely grateful to the Scottish Ecological Design Association and the Krystyna Johnson fund for supporting this project which has benefited the areas served by CRACYP and also has transferable value to the UK in terms of what I learnt in gaining a wider perspective on the world.

I urge anyone who is visiting Ecuador to make the trip well off the beaten track and visit the community ecotourism project in Piedra Blanca where your presence will help to preserve the unspoilt local habitat in the upper reaches on the valley.   As well as seeing this amazing place, you’ll experience a type of agricultural Ecuadorian life not normally seen by tourists passing between the mountains and the beach.   I would be very interested to hear any feedback from such a visit.

In terms of the project there are aspects which I would repeat differently, however the contribution in Raul’s words have “planted a seed”, which demonstrates how some intermediate technologies can be put to use in a developing South American country.  

For more information on Ecotourism in Piedra Blanca see:

http://www.piedrablanca.org/

Rural Reforestation and Progress Network Corporation:

http://www.cracyp.org/



Piedra Blanca school and lodge, with site for the eco-baños in the front