Share Water, Share W isdom: Integrated Water Resource Management in Ecuador’s Angel Watershed

1. How does integrated water resource management of the El Angel watershed fairly or unfairly allocate water resources to different groups of people? Hypothesis: Integrated water resource management fairly allocates water resources from land-owners in the páramo ecosystem, such as private land-owners or government agencies like the Agriculture and Fishing Industry (MAGAP), to irrigation users and potable water users outside of the páramoecosytem. Background: The El Angel watershed is located in the páramo (alpine tundra) ecosystem of the northern Ecuadorian Andes Mountains. The main economic activity in the area is agriculture and much of the water in this ecosystem is diverted to irrigation uses.1Competing ideologies of conservation of future water resources and the necessity of water for the continued development of the region make management of the watershed a complex task. One of the organizations involved in managing this watershed is The Randi Randi Corporation (RR), a non-profit NGO that was established in Ecuador in 2000. In order to fulfill their mission of community-based conservation and watershed management, they work with the Environment Ministry of Ecuador and the El Angel Ecological Reserve to ensure conservation of water resources, while also working with farmers to set up systems of pest control and agro-chemical management.1The RR also does research to gauge the interests and needs of stakeholders in the watershed. Some of the problems brought up in their research have been inequitable distribution, unrealistic water concessions or water-use without concessions, pollution, and poor irrigation infrastructure.1 Integrated Water Resource Management: Integrated management requires joint consideration of different objectives such as economic efficiency, social equity, and ecological integrity Share Water, Share Wisdom: Integrated Water Resource Management in Ecuador’s Angel Watershed Month 1 • Fly to Ecuador • Attend meetings of local NGOS, meet stakeholders • Interview potable water users and irrigation users Month 2 • Obtain water concession data • Create GIS maps of water concessions • Do statistical analyzes of water distribution • Methodology: • By using methodologies that include both interviewing and participant observation as well as water flow measurements and spatial mapping techniques, we will be able to obtain both quantitative and qualitative data in order to get the most comprehensive understanding of the equity of water allocation. • Participant observation: attending decision-making meetings and community meetings • Interview potable water users, irrigation users, and employees of the ecological reserve • Quantitatively measure water flow at differing parts of the watershed (i.e. river branches, irrigation canal) • Obtain data about freshwater availability per capita in the El Angel Watershed • Statistical analysis of water concession data from the local agency of the National Council of Hydrological Resources Month 3 • Do secondary interviews that incorporate quantitative data Month 4 • Fly back to the US • Write-up report • Share data and conclusions References: Anna Daggett Charlotte Francisco ENVS 220 Fall 2012