First Latin-American edition of IPROMO: Sustainable Management of Socio-Ecosystems in the Andes

Launching IPROMO Latinoamericano

“IPROMO Latinoamericano: Sustainable Management of Socio-Ecosystems in the Andes” was the first course of the IPROMO Mountain Training Programme series to be held in Spanish. Organized by the Consortium for the Sustainable Development of the Andean Ecoregion (CONDESAN) with the support of two initiatives financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and facilitated by CONDESAN (Adaptation at Altitude – Andes Program) and by the CONDESAN – Helvetas consortium (Andean Forest Program). Sponsored by FAO (Mountain Partnership Secretariat) and the Mountain Partnership Group of Civil Society Organizations of South America.

This event was hosted in Spanish and delivered on Monday, 17 May, 2021 – 08:30 toTuesday, 1 June, 2021 – 12:30 (America/Lima).

The IPROMO Course

The International Program on Research and Training on Sustainable Management of Mountain Areas (IPROMO) is a course organized annually since 2008 in Italy by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) with the University of Turin and the University of Tuscia.

The first Latin-American IPROMO is part of a wider strategy tofocus on other mountain areas of the planet, and this edition was implemented with a special emphasis on the management of water resources in the Andes. The course addressed three main themes: the importance, diversity and functioning of Andean ecosystems, governance and sustainable management, and sustainability and water justice.

The first Latin-American IPROMO

More than 40 students with a wide variety of professional profiles and backgrounds were selected, from 8 Latin-American countries. Lectures were given by 21 instructors (see below), experts in research and sustainable management of mountains in Latin America, and divided into two modules.

The first module was an introduction to the dynamics of ecosystems in the Andes, their importance and role in sustainability, and the causes and impacts of the environmental and social changes that are occurring. The second module was dedicated to alternative visions of sustainable management of water resources. Keynote talks were complemented by discussions, group work, project construction and role-playing games, enabling the participants to begin a dynamic process of applying what they had learned and laying the foundations for future collaborations.

The level of student participation was beyond expectations. The attendees took advantage of the opportunity created by IPROMO to advance a series of ideas aimed at opening new spaces for collaboration, to pursue this experience and draw a roadmap together.

In this regard, María Argüello, Executive Director of CONDESAN, pointed out:

“We have joined forces to develop this Latin American IPROMO as a pilot initiative for now, but it should be part of a long-term effort to maintain this process in the region, and which illustrates definitely the importance, the need and the added value of collaborative work “.

The first Latin-American IPROMO​ aimed to:

• Improve the capacities of implementers of programs, projects and policies related to the sustainable management of Andean socio-ecosystems, with particular focus on water resources.
• Provide technical criteria on sustainability in scenarios of global change, with a comprehensive analysis of the social, economic and ecological complexity of the region.

Speakers

The first Latin-American IPROMO saw contributions from numerous experts in research and sustainable management of mountains in Latin America:

• Manuel Peralvo – CONDESAN
• Kenneth Young, University of Texas at Austin
• Wouter Buytaert – Imperial College London
• Francisco Cuesta – University of the Andes, Ecuador
• Blanca Ríos – University of the Andes, Ecuador
• Luis Daniel Llambí – CONDESAN
• Paula Ungar – Humboldt Institute
• Olga León – Independent scholar
• Hugo Mantilla – University of Quindío
• Nina Duarte – Imaymana Foundation
• Inty Arcos – Imaymana Foundation
• Rossana Manosalvas – Water Justice Network (Red de Justicia Hídrica)
• Emilie Dupuits – University of Geneve
• Wanderley Ferreira- Bolivian Catholic University
• Rodrigo Chontasi – Institute of Ecology and Development of the Andean Communities (IEDECA)
• Andrea Izquierdo – National University of Tucumán, Argentina
• Bram Willems – National Institute for Glacier and Mountain Ecosystem Research (INAIGEM)
• Bert De Bièvre – Fund for the Protection of Water (FONAG)
• Juan Pablo Hidalgo – Water Justice Network (Red de Justicia Hídrica)
• Robert Hofstede, ECOPAR Corporation
• Helga Gruberg – Bolivian Catholic University

Course materials

• You can access the course website here (in Spanish)
• You can read the press release here (in Spanish)
• You can watch a video of the course opening here (in English – see below)
• You can watch a video summarizing the course here (in Spanish – see above)

Opening of first Latin-American IPROMO​

Breve video sobre las intervenciones del día de la inauguración del IPROMO Latinoamericano 2021, con subtítulos en inglés.