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Projects > Machalilla National Park Project, Ecuador.
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Machalilla National Park Project, Ecuador.
 Location & Field Conditions
This project takes place on the Pacific coast of Ecuador, a fraction south of the Equator. The climate is hot and dry and the tasks we are involved with are:-
- Cutting footpaths and mountain bike trails through the dry coastal jungle.
- Erecting bi-lingual information boards on the trails.
- Primary school classroom construction
- Renovation the crèche for the families of fishermen
Nearest Town: Puerto Lopez is a small fishing village on the Pacific coast within the National Park. Manta is the nearest big town (2 hours away to the north).
Background:
We started working with the Ecuadorian National Parks in 2003 (see the “Sangay NP” in the project archive.) Machalilla is the only coastal NP in Ecuador and as well as stunning hidden away surf beaches, contains the last remaining groves of dry forest and cloud forests in Ecuador. The boundaries of the park also include a fair chunk of the ocean and several offshore islands.
The top three factoids of the park are:-
- Between July and September you can see humpback whales between the mainland and the islets offshore, as they migrate north. Whale-watching from the dry land! Experienced scuba divers are able to dive with whales.
- The kapok tree (“ceiba” in Spanish!) is endemic to the dry forest. It produces seeds that are shrouded in a coarse fibre that floats and will not absorb water. Up until the 1970’s it was used as a buoyancy aid in life-jackets. A manmade substitute has now taken over.
- And talking about trees: you will meet a fragrant member of the dry forest, the Palo Santo tree. You come across it most often as small pieces smouldering in an ashtray on the floor in bars, the smoke creeping around people’s legs as they down their sundowner! It is a pleasant smell, but not if you’re an insect! The smoke is the best way to keep away unwanted insects.
Project aims: Working in partnership with the National Parks Authority, we have launched a number of initiatives to improve the park’s infrastructure to attract more visitors. Thus income is generated, which flows to local people in the form of guiding fees, mountain bike hire fees and accommodation fees. Simultaneously, a number of initiatives have been launched to improve the infrastructure for the communities that live within the NP boundaries.
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