SMA PROGRAMS: Biocultural CONSERVATION:
Riparian Restoration Training and Planning

A two-day workshop was conducted in Madera, in the Río Papigochi watershed, attended by representatives of six indigenous communities, a number of NGOs, neighbors, and the local high school ecology club.

Mike Lunn, Wayne Elmore, and Janice Staats, members of the U.S. National Riparian Restoration Team who are former employees of the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service conducted the workshop and did an outstanding job of explaining technical issues such as livestock management in simple terms. Their before and after photos of streambeds were an inspiration to all of us.

On the second day, we visited a local arroyo and did our own assessment of its condition. Eight communities in the region are now planning riparian restoration projects as part of overall watershed restoration strategies.