National Chapter Spotlight: Ecuador

Ecuador Reaches 100,000 Hectares of Mangroves under AUSCEM Agreements

Ecuador has reached a historic milestone in the conservation and sustainable use of its mangrove ecosystems by achieving 100,000 hectares managed under the Sustainable Use and Custody Agreements for the Mangrove Ecosystem (AUSCEM). This achievement means that approximately 67% of the country’s mangroves are now managed under a framework that prioritizes the responsible use of fisheries resources and the preferential management of mangrove territories by traditional users.

This important achievement is led by the Ministry of Environment and Energy of Ecuador, as the national environmental authority, and has been made possible through the technical and strategic support of three of the founding partners of the Global Mangrove Alliance (GMA) Ecuador Chapter: WWF, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and Conservation International (CI). The collaboration between the public sector and civil society partners has helped consolidate a governance model that is recognized at the regional level for its contribution to biodiversity conservation, the strengthening of local livelihoods, and climate resilience.

The Sustainable Use and Custody Agreements for the Mangrove Ecosystem (AUSCEM) are a public policy instrument of the Ecuadorian State that has been implemented for 25 years, recognizing and regulating the preferential use of mangrove territories by ancestral users and organized community groups. Through these agreements, the State delegates responsibilities for custodianship, conservation, and sustainable ecosystem management to legally recognized associations, promoting responsible fisheries practices, protecting mangroves from external threats, and strengthening local governance. After a quarter century of implementation, AUSCEM has become a consolidated and innovative model that delivers tangible benefits in terms of climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity conservation, and improved livelihoods for the populations that directly depend on this ecosystem.