Environmental Policies Governing Urban Growth
In Ecuador alone, many laws and regulations have been put into place regarding quality of life for not only humans, but all other species that reside in Ecuador’s four very biodiverse regions. Ecuador's Constitution guarantees the right to live in an ecologically balanced environment free of contamination. It proclaims the protection of environment, and the conservation of the ecosystems of the Sierra, the Coast, the Amazon Basin, and the Galapagos Archipelago. In 1993, Ecuador put in place a document known as the Basic Environmental Principles Policy of Ecuador, and in ’96 they created the Ministry of Environment which would direct and foresee these policies, and make sure that needs were met by the people, in terms of conservation matters. In 1999 the Law of Environmental Management established the principles and guidelines of all environmental policies, and would determine the obligations and responsibilities set forth, and who would play which roles in meeting them.
Quito Bus System
Quito, the capital city of Ecuador, located at an altitude of 2,800m and in a narrow valley, has seen problems arise with displeasure over transport throughout the city, particularly with the bus system, due to the harm it would cause on the geographical area of this World Cultural Heritage site. Mainly, the issue has been with the old, polluting busses, whose standards of bus service were low and with slow journey times, having out-of-control service levels, a serious problem with overcrowding, and the fact that official services tended to terminate at 8 PM, which is not ideal in the city. Additionally, a large outstanding problem would be the old, sometimes twenty-plus years, unmaintained diesel buses causing large amounts of emissions and noise problems. Quito eventually released a new Trolebus System, and its offspring, the Ecovía System, have made a valuable contribution to improve the chaotic conditions of bus transport and have been working to keep the city cleaner and greener.
Quito is a city that is sometimes riddled with natural disaster, most typically earthquakes with the most recent intense earthquake having taken place on 16 April 2016, which caused extensive damage and hundreds of fatalities, with a 7.8 magnitude impact. Natural disasters as such, which are felt more recently in Ecuador and specifically close to the capital, but with lower magnitudes, are common and must be taken into deep consideration when understanding how to manage a small, narrow city like Quito. I believe this plays an important role in the impact of the bus system as well, and how it must be maintained, managed, and seen with a focus on sustainability to prevent the immense environmental footprint. Of course, there is volcano risk as well in the surrounding area, along with other risks of natural disaster in other areas of Ecuador, like tsunami risk around the Galapagos Archipelago, for example.
Cotopaxi
The Andes Mountains, which run all along the West side of South America, contributes to a large area of Ecuador’s geographical landscape. Here, there is a wonderful collision of volcanoes, and snowcapped mountains covered with ice; where an active stratovolcano known as Cotopaxi lies, about 50km from the capital city of Quito. Volcano Chimborazo is the highest peak in Ecuador, although not the tallest of the Andes mountains, which peak lay in Argentina. Cotopaxi would be the second highest, although Chimborazo also differs in that it is a currently inactive stratovolcano.
Cloud Forests
Tropical mountain cloud forests have a constant presence of clouds, or mist, with a very high level of moisture and humidity, promoting the great amount of biomass that these mountainous forest formations can hold. Cloud forests are formed by the movement of air currents to create clouds, which will create condensation and all the moisture in the forest, in turn to recycle that moisture again and again. Plants in these forests do not grow as tall as in many other forests, and this is because they simply do not receive the same amount of sunlight for photosynthesis. Water production in the forests, however, play a big part in water supply, especially for rivers and streams that go through them or surround them; and in Honduras, the cloud forests provide over 40 percent of the water supply for over 850,000 people. The importance of cloud forests in biodiversity and sustainability must be taken very seriously, especially since 97 percent of these forests are home to the largest numbers of endemic trees, plants, and birds in many of the areas that they exist. They are also the original home of the tomato plant, coffee plant, other medicinal herbs, vegetables, fruits, and other strong crops that are very common and important to humankind today. Without the cloud forests, these treasures may never have existed. Human activity, commercial food and plant production, deforestation and logging are the greatest threats to the survival of cloud forests today.
Latin Pulse—Water Crisis
Latin America is coming close to losing one of the most important natural resources to mankind. Known as the “oil of the future”, the water crisis is an epidemic. Having some of the main and largest fresh water sources on Earth, like the Andes Mountains, the Amazon River, and even some glaciers, it is concerning to see the rate at which these places melt, or overall lose their freshwater content year after year. Pollution is one of the leading causes, as with the already substantial lack of fresh water, what does remain is deemed unsafe to drink. Pollution is systematically destroying what is left of the freshwater resources and makes it much more difficult for consumption by the masses. Tourism and agriculture are also of main concern. The amount of water used worldwide for agriculture and farming is unsustainable to say the least. In an attempt to solve these problems in Latin America, hydro ponds along canals are being created to contain pollutants by the use of microorganisms, which will consume organic materials and metals that are not wanted or needed in drinking water. Additionally, efforts are being made to conserve what water resources are left, and to stop the privatization of water sources, because it only harms the people rather than working for their greater good.
In Ecuador alone, many laws and regulations have been put into place regarding quality of life for not only humans, but all other species that reside in Ecuador’s four very biodiverse regions. Ecuador's Constitution guarantees the right to live in an ecologically balanced environment free of contamination. It proclaims the protection of environment, and the conservation of the ecosystems of the Sierra, the Coast, the Amazon Basin, and the Galapagos Archipelago. In 1993, Ecuador put in place a document known as the Basic Environmental Principles Policy of Ecuador, and in ’96 they created the Ministry of Environment which would direct and foresee these policies, and make sure that needs were met by the people, in terms of conservation matters. In 1999 the Law of Environmental Management established the principles and guidelines of all environmental policies, and would determine the obligations and responsibilities set forth, and who would play which roles in meeting them.
Quito Bus System
Quito, the capital city of Ecuador, located at an altitude of 2,800m and in a narrow valley, has seen problems arise with displeasure over transport throughout the city, particularly with the bus system, due to the harm it would cause on the geographical area of this World Cultural Heritage site. Mainly, the issue has been with the old, polluting busses, whose standards of bus service were low and with slow journey times, having out-of-control service levels, a serious problem with overcrowding, and the fact that official services tended to terminate at 8 PM, which is not ideal in the city. Additionally, a large outstanding problem would be the old, sometimes twenty-plus years, unmaintained diesel buses causing large amounts of emissions and noise problems. Quito eventually released a new Trolebus System, and its offspring, the Ecovía System, have made a valuable contribution to improve the chaotic conditions of bus transport and have been working to keep the city cleaner and greener.
Quito is a city that is sometimes riddled with natural disaster, most typically earthquakes with the most recent intense earthquake having taken place on 16 April 2016, which caused extensive damage and hundreds of fatalities, with a 7.8 magnitude impact. Natural disasters as such, which are felt more recently in Ecuador and specifically close to the capital, but with lower magnitudes, are common and must be taken into deep consideration when understanding how to manage a small, narrow city like Quito. I believe this plays an important role in the impact of the bus system as well, and how it must be maintained, managed, and seen with a focus on sustainability to prevent the immense environmental footprint. Of course, there is volcano risk as well in the surrounding area, along with other risks of natural disaster in other areas of Ecuador, like tsunami risk around the Galapagos Archipelago, for example.
Cotopaxi
The Andes Mountains, which run all along the West side of South America, contributes to a large area of Ecuador’s geographical landscape. Here, there is a wonderful collision of volcanoes, and snowcapped mountains covered with ice; where an active stratovolcano known as Cotopaxi lies, about 50km from the capital city of Quito. Volcano Chimborazo is the highest peak in Ecuador, although not the tallest of the Andes mountains, which peak lay in Argentina. Cotopaxi would be the second highest, although Chimborazo also differs in that it is a currently inactive stratovolcano.
Cloud Forests
Tropical mountain cloud forests have a constant presence of clouds, or mist, with a very high level of moisture and humidity, promoting the great amount of biomass that these mountainous forest formations can hold. Cloud forests are formed by the movement of air currents to create clouds, which will create condensation and all the moisture in the forest, in turn to recycle that moisture again and again. Plants in these forests do not grow as tall as in many other forests, and this is because they simply do not receive the same amount of sunlight for photosynthesis. Water production in the forests, however, play a big part in water supply, especially for rivers and streams that go through them or surround them; and in Honduras, the cloud forests provide over 40 percent of the water supply for over 850,000 people. The importance of cloud forests in biodiversity and sustainability must be taken very seriously, especially since 97 percent of these forests are home to the largest numbers of endemic trees, plants, and birds in many of the areas that they exist. They are also the original home of the tomato plant, coffee plant, other medicinal herbs, vegetables, fruits, and other strong crops that are very common and important to humankind today. Without the cloud forests, these treasures may never have existed. Human activity, commercial food and plant production, deforestation and logging are the greatest threats to the survival of cloud forests today.
Latin Pulse—Water Crisis
Latin America is coming close to losing one of the most important natural resources to mankind. Known as the “oil of the future”, the water crisis is an epidemic. Having some of the main and largest fresh water sources on Earth, like the Andes Mountains, the Amazon River, and even some glaciers, it is concerning to see the rate at which these places melt, or overall lose their freshwater content year after year. Pollution is one of the leading causes, as with the already substantial lack of fresh water, what does remain is deemed unsafe to drink. Pollution is systematically destroying what is left of the freshwater resources and makes it much more difficult for consumption by the masses. Tourism and agriculture are also of main concern. The amount of water used worldwide for agriculture and farming is unsustainable to say the least. In an attempt to solve these problems in Latin America, hydro ponds along canals are being created to contain pollutants by the use of microorganisms, which will consume organic materials and metals that are not wanted or needed in drinking water. Additionally, efforts are being made to conserve what water resources are left, and to stop the privatization of water sources, because it only harms the people rather than working for their greater good.