Guayaquil (Ecuador), December 13 (EFE). – The Ecuadorian government has declared the Runahurco area, a 72,061 hectare area in the Amazon province of Morona Santiago, as a new Water Protected Area (APH), with the aim of preserving the water sources present there, which will also supply four future hydroelectric projects, the Ministry of Environment and Energy reported this Saturday.
The APH are areas where there are water sources declared to be of public interest for their conservation, conservation and protection, that meet human consumption or ensure food sovereignty. They are part of Ecuador’s National Protected Areas System.
Runahurco, a local nature reserve, covers at least nine towns in Morona Santiago and there are 21 permits for the use of water for human consumption, directly benefiting more than 14,700 residents, according to the ministry.
In addition, it is an essential area for the biological connectivity of the Sangay-Podocarpus corridor, considered one of the most important in the country. Its area is home to seven types of natural ecosystems, including montane evergreen forest, páramo grassland, evergreen páramo shrub and páramo grassland, and piemontano evergreen forest.
It is also an important site for scientific research, biodiversity monitoring and environmental education.
Through this conservation declaration, the government will be able to develop four hydropower projects that, according to the ministry, will contribute 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, thereby ensuring the availability of the water resources necessary for the future operation of these facilities,” says the state portfolio. EFE
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