General Information

News

Our latest reports and news are always available on this site:

• Golondrinas Annual Report, 2005 (245kB)
• 2005 - A Presentation (1,650kB)
• La Redaccion, November 2004 - Golondrinas Newsletter (in spanish, 2MB)

The Golondrinas Foundation is dedicated to the conservation of natural resources, conservation of cloud forest, recuperation of eroded soils, and environmental education in the lower Rio Mira valley between the provinces of Imbabura and Carchi. In this mountainous region, inadequate agricultural management such as burning, row planting, overgrazing, among others, and high levels of water erosion have resulted in soil degradation and thus, a loss in soil productivity. In Ecuador, this is one of the most successful deep-rooted ecological initiatives in the community. The principal objective of the Foundation is to conserve this unique forest ecosystem all the while improving the quality of life for the people in the region. The latter objective is being carried out via classes in environmental education and the introduction of appropriate agricultural techniques.

Maria Eliza Manteca. President of the Foundation.

In 2000, our president Maria Eliza Manteca Oñate received world recognition for the initiatives of our organization. The Rolex Awards for Enterprise values efforts made by innovators with original ideas. This award allows individuals to improve upon their past successes and expand them into the future. This recognition has been extremely important for our organization. It has given us the chance to open up to the world. We are now a place where we can express the experiences we've acquired in the last few years with others, like an open book for all who are interested in protecting their natural resources.

See the larger map for a more detailed view of Golondrinas.