Asociación de Pobladores por el Progreso y Desarrollo de Campo Amor, Zarumilla (ASPOPRODECAZ, Residents’ Association for the Progress and Development of Campo Amor, Zarumilla) represents the 11,000 inhabitants of Campo Amor, a coastal town in the buffer zone of the Tumbes National Mangrove Sanctuary. The region is a gateway to this important protected area, and home to many community members who depend on the aquatic products provided by the mangroves ecosystem.

ASPOPRODECAZ was created in response to the pressures on this fragile natural reserve resulting from population growth, logging, and solid waste pollution. In response, the association has reforested the surrounding mangrove swamps, devised environmental education programmes, and established the first tree nursery in the region. A key innovation of the organization's work is a sustainable waste management program that employs 250 families in recycling and solid waste collection.

 

Key Facts 

Equator Prize Winner: 2008

Founded: 2003

Location: Campo Amor, Tumbes Region

Beneficiaries: 11,000 inhabitants of Campo Amor

Biodiversity: 750-sq. km. coastal ecological reserve

 

Case Study