YAWI SUMAK: Bicycle, an environmental communication tool.
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Yawi Sumak cover
CICLOVIAJEROS EC
Yawi-Sumak is a mixture of two indigenous words: Yawi means saladero, a location in the forest where birds and other creatures congregate to consume mineral salts, and Sumak meaning beautiful or great. The activities taken by environmental authorities, local media, and the community in the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources are demonstrated through a bicycle tour with more than 300 bikers. This unique and inclusive communication tool provides the urban residents with a lived experience of the region's visual beauty, ecological services, umbrella species, and cultural diversity of the Shuar, Saraguro, and Mestizo ethnic groups.
The concept was repeated in the Regional Program AbE Ecuador to promote community ecotourism in Membrillal, Manabi, and has become the country's most significant bike excursion. It was presented during the 2017 World Bicycle Forum in Mexico.
Last update: 19 Sep 2022
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Context
Challenges addressed
- The conventional means of communication for environmental conservation projects (conferences, congresses, brochures, posters, etc.) are attended only by specialized audiences on environmental issues, academics and related institutions.
- Need to disseminate the actions of local governments for the maintenance and sustainable use of natural resources, such as: monitoring of species, beekeeping, reforestation, management of water sources.
- The search for inclusive and innovative environmental communication and education strategies that allow to see in practice the species (umbrela species), the ecosystem services and the scenic beauty of the Podocarpus - Yacuambi Connectivity Corridor (CPY).
- The urban population of Loja and Zamora is not aware of the importance of the ecosystem services provided by the CPY, especially the value of water, in this area approximately 50% of the water is generated for the city of Loja.
- There is no specific budget for environmental communication in the CPY.
Location
Zamora-Chinchipe Province, Ecuador
Zamora-Chinchipe, Ecuador
South America
Process
Summary of the process
After event, the participants, organizers, environmental institutions and local community of this initiative obtain a high quality product with a high communication potential.
The management and organization of the event through the association and cooperation system, provide an experiential message to cyclists (urban dwellers).
Without the proper interaction between the stakeholders, the message, the communication element (bicycle), and budget it would be impossible to generate a conservation experience like is achieved through the Yawi Sumak initiative.
Proof of this is that the iniciative already has been replicated in several conservation areas of Ecuador (Garua Bike Trip, Manabi, Ecuador) or Bi-national Bike-Trip of the Dry Forest Ecuador-Perú.
We must take into account the important role of the bicycle as a communication tool. Much of the success of this initiative is due to empowerment , the nobility and the acceptance that this sustainable transpotation mode has in the participants and feelings of freedom in contact with nature, people and the community.
Building Blocks
Building consensus among partners through consultation
Carry out coordination meetings between bicycle groups and CPY connectivity corridor promoter group to define the budget, the route, the road map, the responsibilities and the message that will be transmitted in the current edition, for example: groups ethnic, spectacled bears - andean bears (Tremarctos Ornatus), mountain tapir (Tapirus pinchaque), water resource or etc.
In a second moment, all the actors meet: environmental authority, private company and aid institutions to agree on logistics, support issues and the contingency plan to ensure the safety of cyclists.
The structure and communication in a government space are key to the success of the event, sometimes it is complicated to handle certain conflicts for institutional leadership and protagonism.
Enabling factors
- Have a cooperation system.
- Establish adequate communication channels.
- Generate horizontal leadership, avoiding political and economic interests.
- Be aware of a common goal
Lesson learned
- Leadership must be managed from civil society.
- The management of the economic resources for the development of the event must be carried out by a civil society organization.
- Interference of political interests in decisions should not be allowed.
- The participation of private companies is the key to the sustainability.
- The planning time should be about three months in advance.
Use of social networks and non-traditional media to publicize the initiative
The communication strategy to disseminate the importance and actions of the CPY must be inclusive and innovative, through the creation of a brand and key messages to transmit each year to cyclists, participants should easily identify the main objective of the initiative.
In this sense, we create advertising products such as: press conference, advertising, infographics, maps, posters, jersey, buff, medals that are disclosed during the promotion and the development of events through digital platforms and social networks: website, facebook, twitter, etc. .).
Another space to spread the concept of cycling is that during the tour there are strategic stops for hydration, healthy and natural snacks for cyclists; These spaces are used by local governments and communities to promote the products of their agrobiodiversity and bioemprendimientos.
To socialize the concept of sustainability, during the advertising campaign on social networks, it is indicated that the food will be delivered in sustainable containers (banana leaves) and that the hydration will be delivered in its reusable bottles (plastic bottles should not be used).
Enabling factors
Define a clear concept that we want to spread among cyclists.
Maintain the commitment of local governments to promote the products of their agrobiodiversity.
Establish the appropriate communication channels to reach the target group.
Use a registration website for the conceptualization of the event: yawisumak.cicloviajerosec.com / www.ciclorutadelagarua.com
Have a creative graphic designer and aware of the objective to be transmitted.
Lesson learned
Having a concept of the bike-trip encourages interest and increases the participation of cyclists.
The dissemination of CPY concepts in advance during the promotion of the event is essential to sensitize cyclists.
The website and social networks are key platforms to have a national reach.
Having a good quality photographic record allows the participants to identify themselves in social networks, tag and share the photos and the message of the event once the event is over.
Resources
Financing management
The Yawi Sumak bike-trip beyond a recreational and sporting event has an environmental awareness objective, it has achieved the interest and economic support of Local Governments (Prefecture of Zamora Chinchipe, Parish Boards), International Cooperation (German Cooperation GIZ), and private business (Maxred Diseños).
For this reason, the cost is subsidized and symbolic. Cyclist pays approximately 40% of the real value of the event, which has contributed significantly to the success in the call. The participant for that fee gets: mobilization, transport of bicycles, food (breakfast, cold sandwiches and lunch), jersey, buff, participation medal, hydration, fruit, prize draw, traffic control, medical assistance and mechanical assistance.
In the last edition there was a difference for men ($ 20) and women ($ 15) as an positive incentive to achieve greater participation of women.
Enabling factors
Generate an environmental message (conservation, connectivity) beyond a recreational and sports activity to achieve the interest of international cooperation
Having achieved a great participation of cyclists from the beginning, which is gradually increasing, which has captured the interest of private companies
To have a permanent governance space (Cooperatio System - CPY promoter group) for the management of local government resources.
Lesson learned
Private companies are willing to support innovative ideas, as long as they seek common interest and call participation of a big group of people
The bicycle has a lot of acceptance (to be bikefriendly is cool), for example, public and private entities through transport, ecological, recreational, accessible and social cohesion.
Managing resources in institutions will become easier when they have an orientation on environmental issues, in this case the local Prefect is an indigenous from Saraguro ethnic group, he is a nature advocate who in 2009 through of an local law where established Zamora Chinchipe province as "Lung of Mother Earth, Source of Water and Life"
Resources
Conservation fund
As a strategy of connection and contribution of the citizenship, because in the first edition (2013) We were able to finance all expenses, a conservation fund was generated from the collection of the cost of the registration of the event, the fund was delivered to the Promoter Group CPY and it was invested in conservation actions and sustainable use of the territory, with the fund was bought trap cameras for monitoring biodiversity.
This proposal was not sustainable for following editions, due to the considerable increase of the participation and the associated costs, currently we use the fee of the registrations to complete the event financing.
Enabling factors
Have an emblematic conservation project in the region.
Having achieved the total financing of the initiative in its first year.
To have a permanent governance space (Cooperation System and CPY promoter group)
Lesson learned
It is necessary to devote greater effort to the raising of economic resources to maintain the conservation fund.
To allocate the money raised in local projects, helps to strengthen the relationship between the promoter group and the community.
Having an external institution that helps finance 100% of the event, allows the creation of the conservation fund.
Resources
Impacts
The implementation of this initiative has managed to generate positive impacts in the region such as:
- Reactivation of the local economy of the communities.
- Dissemination of the importance and work that is being developed in the connectivity corrido Podocarpus - Yacuambi.
- Attract people from the city to know the environmental reality of protected areas.
- Generation of funds for conservation projects.
- Rupture of differences between the authorities and local communities.
- Multiplication of this initiative in other provinces of Ecuador
- Creation of spaces for national and cultural integration among cyclists.
Beneficiaries
Communities reactivate their economy, especially women, through the sale of food and beverages at supply points (400 approx.). Cyclists who are educated in the biological importance and ecosystem services provided by the CPY (1500 approx.)
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG 3 – Good health and well-being
SDG 4 – Quality education
SDG 10 – Reduced inequalities
SDG 11 – Sustainable cities and communities
SDG 17 – Partnerships for the goals
Story
Soften political gap
CICLOVIAJEROS EC
In edition 2015, we had an unusual political story: In this area, we have several environmental conflicts because the mining industry is spreading, there are two political leaders of Zamora, Province prefect and Governor, both had political differences, the prefect is an environmentalist indigenous, and the governor is non-indigenous who represent the goverment. After this iniciative and for this environmental cause they got over their political gap and they achived to work and cycling together through the Podocarpus Yacuambi protected area. The bicycle is really a communication tool and political synergy tool for enviromental causes.
