Semillas que germinan: experiencias comunitarias en la costa (Seeds that germinate: community experiences in the coast)

This document describes four projects funded by the Programa de Pequenas Donaciones (PPD) in Ecuador. One of the projects was about maintaining and reforesting mangroves in on an island called Costa Rica, located near the Peruvian border. Its primary objectives was to reforest 80 hectares of mangroves using community participation, especially women laborers. The authors describe that before, the "machista" nature of the region meant that women rarely entered nor took care of mangroves, yet this program effectively included the women in the decision making, development, tree-planting for the project. The project allowed both men and women to recognize the women's capacities and efficiency working on the reforestation. A large motivation for the reforestation is the protection and enhancement of the conch and red crab stocks, two economically important resources for the region. The authors report an increase in conch and crab individuals by the second year of the project. Finally, by including the women and providing jobs, the authors suggest that participation in the program increased the quality of life for the residents.