|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|||
|
|
Project news
Establishing habitat restoration trials
We are now in the process of constructing three more on-site native plant nurseries (Fundo Chapi, Fundo Santa Cruz and Huarangal) for a number of pressing reasons that include: damage to seedlings through transport on very poor roads; wider dissemination and education. Half the plant nursery in Huarangal will house Cactaceae. This overgrazed and threatened ecotype also supports endemic plant rarities with excellent potential for fruit production and horticulture as well as high conservation value. Training in seed collection and management was provided in 2006 by Dr Tiziana Ulian from the Seed Conservation Department at Kew. The project has been given use of a seed laboratory, and although the lab is poorly equipped we have been able to record essential seed extraction and processing data. We now have a temporary bank of over 30,000 seeds from more than 50 species. One of the initial restoration sites (Fundo Chanca) is situated within an asparagus farm. The ephemeral stream habitat of Chanca is proving to be the key migration corridor and habitat for wildlife moving east-west between the Andes and the riparian habitats of the Rio Ica. A number of rare and endemic species of plants and birds as well as reptiles have been recorded in this habitat. Another planned trial site (due for planting in 2007) will be situated on an asparagus farm, providing seven hectares for 5,000 trees and shrubs. This will provide an ideal location for rigorous comparative evaluation of habitat restoration techniques. The data from this homogeneous large area of protected land will complement the other four restoration sites, from which comparative data are less easy to derive due to the heterogeneity of the conditions. Conserving riparian Prosopis dry forest fragments
One of our more urgent priorities has been to help ensure the conservation of the largest surviving relic of south coast Prosopis dry forest. Together with our Peruvian counterparts and local communities, we have approached this through national designation under Peruvian law. Establishment of the site as a protected area will require development of a management plan with sustainable livelihoods options attractive to the local people, together with enhancement of biodiversity through conservation and habitat restoration. Following numerous discussions and small family workshops, all stakeholders are now supportive of the initiative and are enthusiastic about involvement in the conservation of this highly threatened forest type. Together with GAP we have proposed the site under a scheme introduced in 2005 whereby individuals or NGOs are able to apply to INRENA for a Concession for Conservation (renewable after 40 years) for integrated conservation of areas belonging to the state. The application is awaiting final results. Documenting biodiversity
GAP students have now registered over 221 bird species for the region including 10 new records, with 70 species observed in the habitat restoration areas. In support of this work, a RSPB made a generous donation of 15 pairs of second-hand binoculars for the local GAP group. Key endemics species for conservation measures are the Cactus canastero, Slender-billed finch, Black Necked woodpecker, Coaster miner and Thick-billed miner. Together with the GAP biologists we have also registered four species of ants in Prosopis and eight species of lizards, publishing a poster on the four threatened lizard species found in Huarangal (one of the restoration trial sites). Octavio Pecho has completed the first ever study of the breeding cycle of the endemic and declining Black Necked woodpecker, with detailed photos within the nest. This bird is emblematic to the project region and its rapid decline can be attributed to forest loss. Building local awareness and involvement
The large and often empty or abandoned parts of the walled school grounds provide a protective environment and forum for nurturing threatened trees to maturity as well as for environmental education. We have been able to introduce over 3,000 children to our planting programme, of whom 1,200 have planted a tree. The education programme has expanded and now includes the national network umbrella of the highly successful NGO ANIA and its programme Tierra de los Niños. The education programme includes planting days, during which we give slide talks, provide hand-outs about Huarango and native plants, and put up posters. Seedlings are provided by the project nursery but we are now planning to help build small nurseries in the individual schools. The children are encouraged to pair up and ‘adopt' a tree as a friend, and then commit to looking after it with a signed certificate of responsibility. This April (2007), during the Huarango Festival, we were able to award 35 prizes to the winners of the best cared-for tree, best poems and best drawings of Huarango. As part of these activities, we have developed an interactive media programme of theatre and music that highlights native and local species of plants and birds and their ecology. We focus on the importance of native forests for conservation and production of soil and protection of water resources, and increasingly are able to highlight the global issues of climate change. We have organised a number of small workshops aimed at teachers for updating the curriculum.
The event was attended by teachers and families from the local area, and the students have arranged for children from the local schools to come and water the seedlings. This will provide a forested area where at present the children have no access to woodland. The Huarango festival/fair In April 2006 the first Huarango Festival was organised in Ica. This was considered an important step for raising local awareness in advance of the main project.
Themes addressed by the festival included Huarango foods and sustainable use, educational talks, exhibitions around local ecology and biodiversity, competitions and prizes, cultural and environmental-focused music, theatre and story telling. Various food products made from the project's Huarango harvest were demonstrated for tasting, including ice cream, empanadas, cakes, biscuits, flours, coffee, marmalade, chicha (fermented brew) and duck stew. The harvest was purchased from our small group of project producers. Educational activities focused on native plants, with a demonstration of 15 native species grown for exhibition in the project tree nursery and a planned botanical garden at INC. There was an exhibition of 30 types of seeds from local plants and 25 key types of Huarango pods from varieties know in the region, highlighting the importance of seed conservation . Ten large banners on local biodiversity were displayed, and project students conducted a series of biodiversity and ecology lectures to over 800 children. The talks focused on the native plants, birds and lizards of the region, as well as flow chart banners demonstrating ecological problems. Competitions were held for poetry (270 entries) and Huarango drawing (120 entries). The Festival also hosted two well known music groups (Daniel F and Leusemia) for the younger generation, and Manuelcha Prado provided Andean folkloric music that was received to an adoring crowd and traditional dancing. Eight other local musicians, acts and dances were involved.
Non-timber forest products
We have been offered the use of two excellent electric mills. The hammer mill and spice mill are brand new (valued at over $4,000) and were donated by the Ministry of Agriculture some years ago to the Instituto Superior Tecnologico Leon de Vivero, in the Tinguiña suburb of Ica. We are in the final stages of an agreement that should allow the project products to be produced seasonally and the Institute to develop its own products whilst training students to use Huarango flour in its adjacent bakery. In May 2007 we will start construction of a small building to house the mills next to the bakery, mount and connect the three-phase supply and overhaul the machinery. Profits made from the sale will be reinvested in the sustainable management programme and finance the group. |
||
Cactus propagation and cultivation feasibility study 
In June and July 2006 seed collection was undertaken in order to gather a sufficient and representative selection of perennial and annual plants for habitat restoration and educational planting events. During these collections we were able to complete the tree nursery in preparation for the ongoing germination and propagation trials. The nursery - dedicated exclusively to the production of native species - lies in the grounds of the Faculty of Agronomy of the Universidad San Luis de Gonzaga Ica (UNICA). Under the direction of local expert Felix Quinteros and a team of students, we now have several thousand huarango seedlings from selected local landraces, plus a range of other plants. 
By December 2006 we had established four habitat restoration trials in degraded and contrasting sites, for which we have agreements with the landowners and communities.
2,000 plants are monitored monthly by UNICA and GAP students: growth and ecological observations are noted, plant height, stem width, canopy area, health, mortality and other observations. Avian biodiversity, activity and numbers are also recorded as indicators of ecological change, whilst pollination and seed dispersal roles are monitored in order to facilitate adaptive management. Reptile and ant observations are also made, as both groups play key roles in soil, seed and succession ecology in arid lands. 
The project has now collected, annotated and databased 
The second Festival, held between 13 and 15 April 2007, was attended by over 3,500 people. This was an extremely successful event that received substantial media coverage. More than 2,500 Huarango seedlings from threatened (productive) landrace varieties were distributed during this event. The regional government has since announced that it will designate an official 'Huarango Day' (Dia del Huarango), for inclusion in the municipal regional calendar, in recognition of the importance of this tree in local livelihoods. 
There is an expanding group of willing suppliers of Huarango fruits in the habitat restoration sites and also within the proporsed conservation concessions. Four local families form the nucleus of this work; Alarcon (Nazca), Anchante (Huarangal), Hernandez (Ica) and the workers of San Jorge Fundo. We also have purchased fruit from two other small producers for the Festival and for production trials (about 2,000 kg of fruit). Miskyhuaranga, a group of five students at UNICA, is undertaking market research and developing a project under the name Miskihuaranga (Miski means sweet in Quechua). The group will visit and receive training from the Algarrobita and Locuita project in northern Peru, hosted by the University of Puira and El CITEagroindustrial Piura. The aims of the trip are to: 1. Learn the techniques of Prosopis (Huarango in south Peru and Algarrobo in the north) fruit management to prevent bruchid infestation; 2. Note and take photographs of production techniques; 3. Interview the communities; 4. Complete the training video for workshops, website and dissemination of CD with the manual.