Encompasses paramos and forests of this province. It is a zone rich in biodiversity. It is also a corridor for pumas, spectacled bears, ocelots, and primates.
The paramos and forests of the western zone of Carchi, in northern Ecuador, are part of the new area of environmental protection and buffering. Altrópico Foundation and the Prefecture presented the preservation project that involves several cantons located on the west bank of this border jurisdiction, which borders Colombia. This is the program called Sustainable Management of Forests and Paramos in the ACUS, Western Andes of Carchi and its area of influence. This initiative was supported by the Tropical Forest Flamenco Fund. The space to be preserved has an area of 77,000 hectares, over an area where there is a significant water recharge settled in the western Carchi.
The binational Mira and Mataje watershed is established in the sector, with the micro-watersheds of the San Juan, Morán, Plata, Chinambí, and Río Blanco rivers.

Ministerio del Ambiente (s,f)