A grass-roots initiative
Destructive farming practices and the overexploitation of timber have destroyed over 90 per cent of Ecuador’s native forest, causing severe erosion and soil degradation.
"I set myself the target of finding a way to earn money so that I could return to my village to work with the local people and find ways of improving their economic situation.”
Determined to protect the remnants of indigenous forests, while at the same time improving living standards for rural people, Maria Eliza Manteca Oñate has established a nature reserve near her home village in the north of the country. She has also launched a successful education programme, whereby adults and children learn sustainable farming techniques at a model farm.
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Farming without harming
More than 90 per cent of Ecuador’s native forest has been cut down, and Maria Eliza Manteca Oñate is fiercely determined to protect what remains
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Ms Maria Eliza Manteca Oñate
President
Fundación Golondrinas
Isabel la Católica 1559 y Cristobal Gangotena
Quito
Pichincha
Ecuador
