On Tuesday, March 17, 2026, a meeting was held to establish the National Working Group (Ecuador Chapter). The in-person meeting took place at the UNESCO offices located at Veintimilla and Tamayo in Quito. The event began at 9:30 a.m. and aimed to establish a national hub for academic and institutional coordination in ecohydrology, linked to the UNESCO Demonstration Sites in Ecuador recognized by the Intergovernmental Hydrological Program (IHP-UNESCO).
During the meeting, a commemorative event was planned for July 2026, as part of the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the UNESCO International Hydrological Programme (IHP-UNESCO) and the 20th anniversary of the UNESCO Global Network of Ecohydrology Demonstration Sites. In addition, local-level project initiatives were outlined, including the creation of the National Committee for the UNESCO Intergovernmental Hydrological Program (CONAPI).
As part of efforts to promote academic cooperation and the dissemination of ecohydrology, Emily Sánchez, a researcher at the Center for Research and Applied Projects in Earth Sciences (CIPAT), visited the WASI Lab facilities at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador (PUCE), where she held discussions on research collaboration with researcher Marco Albarracín.
Participants in the event included Verónica Minaya, UNESCO’s National Official Representative for the Natural Sciences Sector; Camila Tori, Technical Consultant for the Intergovernmental Hydrological Program for Latin America and the Caribbean at UNESCO Montevideo; Marco Albarracín, Coordinator of UNESCO’s Network of Demonstration Sites in Latin America and the Caribbean; Byron Ñato, Representative of the Ministry of Environment and Energy; Emily Sánchez, Coordinator of the Manglaralto River-Aquifer System Demonstration Site; Felipe Serrano, Director of the Paltas Reserve; and researchers Pablo Ochoa, José Morocho, and Fausto López from the Technical University of Loja (UTPL).
Sustainable Development Goals:
SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
