Bahia Ecocity
View of Bahia from the lookout point
Read more about ecological living in the Bahia Ecocity Guide (Adobe PDF format), a practical guide for residents. In Spanish.
In
1998 the whole coast of Ecuador was affected by the El Niño phenomenon.
Bahia was the most severely affected by the torrential rains and mud slides, leaving the town isolated
and without basic services and food supplies. Shortly after the niño,
the town was struck by a 7.2 earthquake. Many buildings fell to the ground
and almost all were severely damaged.
During the reconstruction,
local residents with the support of foreign NGOs aimed their efforts towards
more sustainable development. As a result in 1999 Bahia was declared
an ecocity. This was partly justifiable at the time due to the ecoprojects
that existed in recycling of paper and organic waste and reforestation.
The declaration meant a conscious decision by the Municipality and local
residents to support
and consolidate this process
on a long term basis.
Since the declaration many
new projects have been created and reinforced
by initiatives in environmental education.
The sloth club from Japan visiting
the ecocity.
The following are the main
projects taking place in Bahía Ecocity;
1.
Five paper recycling groups. (recycling by hand)
2. Reforestation projects on the hillsides of Bahía and outer
areas (Planet Drum, Stuarium)
3. Reforestation in María Auxiliadora a neighborhood which was
completely devastated in the el niño phenomenon and where twenty
people lost their lives.
This area has been reforested and named “Forest in the midst of
the ruins “ There is a walking trail through the park. (Planet
Drum)
4. Fanca Childrens´ Ecoclub (Fundación EcoBahía
)
5. “Fanca Produce ” – a project to recycle all organic
waste from households, create compost and then cultivate fruit trees
which are later planted in the sections. (Municipality, Planet Drum)
6. Encarnación Farm, composting site and organic farm producing
raw material for organic shrimp food. (Guacamayo)
7. The Organic Shrimp farm. The first organic
farm in the world is not only a productive farm but a wildlife refuge.
(Guacamayo)
8. Cerro Seco Tropical Dry forest reserve. This is a privately owned
reserve on the hills behind Bahia.
9. Rio Muchacho Organic / Permaculture farm.
(Guacamayo)
10. Rio Muchacho Community Environmental School.
(Guacamayo)
11. Street planting in Bahia- The streets have been lined with palm
trees and other sp. Some of this planting was damaged in the niño
but work continues to replace what was lost. (Municipality)
12. Mangrove reforestation in the Estuary.
13. Ecoschools Programme (involving 13 schools)
14. The Residents Guide to Living in an Ecocity (Guacamayo)
15. Environmental education by volunteers in Bella Vista and other schools
(Planet
Drum/ Cerro Seco)
16. Organic Agriculture Project in Fanca (Fundación EcoBahía
)
FUTURE PROJECTS
1.Wetland system for treatment
of waste water
2. A city wide recycling programme. Funded by USAID
3. The installation of a plastic mill, so that plastics can be ground
in Bahía instead of sending them to Guayaquil for that process.
(this is uneconomical due to volume)
4. Reforestation of the hillsides in the outer area of Bahía
5. Edible street planting
6. Cycle way
7. Ecocity Information Centre
8. Model ecofriendly house- alternative energy, optimal design, productive
gardens etc.etc.
Read more about ecological living in the Bahia Ecocity Guide (Adobe PDF format), a practical guide for residents. In Spanish.
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