Strengthening of the Forestry Eco -Didish Research and Ecological Restoration Line

The study of forestry and ecological restoration eco-lidrology has been little studied in our country, despite its ecological and socio-economic importance. As an example, it can be mentioned that the lack of knowledge of forest species for reforestation activity has generated that today we have forest coverage mainly with exotic species such as pine and eucalyptus (Stimm et al 2008, Günter et al. 2009) with its hydrological implications. Another clear example of the limitation of studies refers to the San Francisco forest in Zamora Chinchipe with an extension of 1000 ha, which has at least 1208 species of known plants, 280 are forest species (Homeier 2008), and of these only 10 species its seed ecology is known and only 6 native species are known its ecological requirements for a success of adapting the seedlings in degraded sites (Palomeque 2012). On the other hand, forest management efforts, and restoration should not be isolated from hydrological regulation, hence few studies that include these complex relationships. The Water Resource Research Group and Environmental Sciences, at the moment it executes a research project: Pinus Patula Forest Management in the Páramo (funded by the DIUC and stage within the El Cajas National Park Scientific Station), whose objective is to relate the different forest management practices with the hydrological regulation and the carbon balance. However, this project needs to be enhanced as a line of research at the university, in order to give answers to the forest eco-hydrological management and the ecological restoration of degraded areas at local, regional and national levels. The research proposals that will be presented in the different research calls of this year will serve: 1) Know Eco Hydrology of terrestrial ecosystems with emphasis on the Andean area, 2) Ecology of seeds and production of quality plants for reforestation and restoration. Another approach to research is the study of the dynamics of forest ecology, with emphasis on native forests and its effect on the quantity and quality of water and soil. Since it is a new research line, all basic equipment is required, however, the plant production issue has as its first step the analysis of genetic material through international protocols that require controlling environmental variables, mainly temperature and humidity. The success of the restoration depends on a good analysis of the seed material; Therefore, it has been considered to acquire a seed germination chamber and/or plant production. Another basic materials, for the seed collection is the purchase of two forest pruning and an instrument to measure the height of the trees or hipsometer.

STRENGTHENING RESEARCH GROUPS