On Friday, August 30th, a workshop was held on monitoring Andean native plantations in protected areas, aimed at park rangers from the Madidi, Tunari, and Cotapata Protected Areas, as well as technicians from the municipalities of Colomi, Sacaba, Quillacollo, Vinto, Sipe Sipe, Tiquipaya, and Cochabamba.
“Native trees, in addition to being oxygen producers, perform essential ecosystem functions, such as water storage in soils and soil protection, contributing integrally to sustainability and environmental balance,” stated Omar Oporto, coordinator of Armonía’s Tunari Program. “The restoration and conservation of native forests are crucial for their impact on aquifer recharge, water source protection, and soil conservation.”
Oporto reported that this workshop will enable park rangers and municipal technicians to measure, using quantitative and qualitative criteria, the condition of plantations, the process of forest restoration, and the recovery of ecosystem functions.
During the workshop, Dennis Mollinedo, deputy coordinator of Armonía’s Tunari Project, provided a detailed explanation of the theoretical considerations for monitoring native species plantations. He explained when monitoring should be carried out, how often this work is done, and what instruments are required, among other details.
In the afternoon session, participants traveled to the community of La Phia in the municipality of Tiquipaya to receive practical training on the installation and monitoring of these native species forest plantations.
The monitoring work of native plantations in Tunari National Park is carried out with the support of the Acción Andina program, Flanders State of the Art and Trillon Trees.
Cover photo: Edwin Nogales, Head of Production for the Tunari Program, during a native plant monitoring session.