Páramo is a type of ecosystem prevalent mainly in southern Central America and the northern Andes Mountains in South America. It is an alpine tundra located above the continuous timberline, yet below the permanent snowline.
These ecosystems are critical to the water supply of their surrounding communities. As climate change and urban development pose risks to the sustainability of the water supply, SEI Senior Scientist Laura Forni and her colleagues worked with Quito water utility EPMAPS and the water protection fund FONAG to research how to support the reliability of the Quito area’s water availability.
Using Robust Decision Support and SEI’s Water Evaluation And Planning (WEAP) software, the researchers found that local communities can stave off water vulnerability by conserving páramo land.
Laura will present this work in a short video within a larger in-person World Water Week session on 31 August called, “Tools for valuing ecosystems and nature-based solutions.”
Photo: Kevin Schafer / Getty Images
SEI is working with the Distrito Metropolitano de Quito (DMQ) to help identify robust adaptation options for the water supply system in Quito, Ecuador.
SEI está trabajando con el Distrito Metropolitano de Quito (DMQ) para identificar opciones de adaptación robustas para el sistema de suministro de agua en Quito
