{"id":3188,"date":"2024-08-06T00:39:56","date_gmt":"2024-08-06T00:39:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/montanadeluzec.com\/?p=3188"},"modified":"2025-02-07T14:43:14","modified_gmt":"2025-02-07T14:43:14","slug":"la-montana-de-luz-un-laboratorio-vivo-de-unas-30-000-plantas-en-ecuador","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/montanadeluzec.com\/en\/la-montana-de-luz-un-laboratorio-vivo-de-unas-30-000-plantas-en-ecuador\/","title":{"rendered":"The \u201cMonta\u00f1a de Luz\u201d a \u201cliving laboratory\u201d of about 30.000 plants in Ecuador"},"content":{"rendered":"

https:\/\/efe.com\/medio-ambiente\/2023-06-24\/la-montana-de-luz-un-laboratorio-vivo-de-unas-30-000-plantas-en-ecuador\/#:~:text=Imbabura%20(Ecuador)%20(EFE),la%20provincia%20ecuatoriana%20de%20Imbabura<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The \u201cMonta\u00f1a de Luz\u201d a \u201cliving laboratory\u201d of about 30.000 plants in Ecuador<\/p>\n

June 24, 2023<\/p>\n

By Susana Madera |<\/p>\n

Imbabura (Ecuador) (EFE). - What was once a rural hill, full of brushwood and bushes has transformed into a \u201cliving laboratory\u201d with around 30.000 sowed plants of different species and varieties in over 40 hectares in the Pablo Arenas parish, in the Ecuadorian province of Imbabura.<\/p>\n

Known formerly as the \u201cSan Juan\u201d hill, this elevation of 2.240 meters of altitude is now \u201cMontana de Luz\u201d, a space where the brush has been replaced by 3.700 fruit trees of 50 kinds, 600 bamboos of 9 kinds and 900 palm trees of 27 kinds.<\/p>\n

Additionally, 600 conifers of 26 kinds, 300 \u201cArupo\u201d trees, 300 agave plants, succulents, aloe, and cacti, around 1.000 orchids and a thousand bougainvillea of 25 colors, among others.<\/p>\n

And although it is still under construction, the creators of the \u201cMontana de Luz\u201d community want to make it one of the biggest and most biodiverse botanical gardens in the Andean region, and by doing so, provide Ecuador with one of its biggest living laboratories, which delves into the importance of protecting and preserving the nature.<\/p>\n

Also transformed into an educational center about the significance of plants, and adequate care of the natural resources, visitors can go through different theme gardens at \u201cMontana de Luz\u201d: the Zen, the orchid garden, the desert, the silence and even the shamanic, in walks of up to 90 minutes long, said Sara Hurtado, member of the community, to EFE.<\/p>\n

Genetic and vegetal resources<\/p>\n

With the purpose of contributing to the preservation of genetic and vegetal resources, and supporting the sustainable use of vegetal species, the creators of the community \u201cMonta\u00f1a de Luz\u201d have taken around six years to open paths, build reservoirs and reforest the hill.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are zones with great anthropic pressure, which have gone through strong deforestation processes, vegetation shortage through fells of trees to get charcoal, wood or to open up spaces to farm, which also brings other processes such as the loss of soil by erosion\u201d, said the Spanish geologist German Martin to EFE.<\/p>\n

Therefore, he highlighted the reforestation process performed, since it \u201cprevents erosion, catches nutrients in the soil, brings fauna and that helps maintain all the trophic network\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis abundant quantity of vegetal species has helped a big number of animals, that were abandoned or reduced in number, find a \u201cshelter where to spread\u201d, indicated surrounded by colorful vegetation and the song of birds high on the mountain, where it is now common to see even wild rabbits.<\/p>\n

High biodiversity of Ecuador<\/p>\n

Carlos Merizalde, who was the director of the International Cooperation of the UNESCO World Geopark Imbabura, recalled that, six years ago, the San Juan hill was a \u201cbare mountain, practically deforested\u201d until Marcelo Vinueza arrived, \u201cwith preservation ideas of communitarian development, of different local development\u201d, of ecotourism, of eco-spirituality, of a healthy diet.<\/p>\n

And \u201cstarted to revegetate with an interesting variety of plants, a wide variety, very nice, and little by little it has been repopulated by hawks, eagles, kestrels, and rabbits, and this is a product, fairly, of this growth, this outcropping of the biodiversity in the territory\u201d, he explained.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Merizalde estimates that \u201cMontana de Luz\u201d can be, at this time, the botanical garden \u201cwhich has the biggest biodiversity in projects or initiatives of this kind in the Andean world of Ecuador\u201d.<\/p>\n

Sustainability, resilience and identity<\/p>\n

Furthermore, \u201cpeople, who come to enjoy this natural environment, find a space of peace, tranquility, and pure air\u201d said while highlighting a development with sustainability criteria, resilience, identity, \u201cbecause here we talk about geology, biodiversity, and culture\u201d, of spirituality, of healing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Luckily, little by little people and entities are getting to understand that his change of behavior does not depend on others, but themselves\u201d, commented to EFE.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We must sometimes be \u201ca little crazy, in the good sense of the word, to undertake these initiatives that benefit the community, the territory\u201d, indicated in the place where each action looks forward to promoting environmental education that favors changes in the behavior of its visitors in the benefit of nature.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

https:\/\/efe.com\/medio-ambiente\/2023-06-24\/la-montana-de-luz-un-laboratorio-vivo-de-unas-30-000-plantas-en-ecuador\/#:~:text=Imbabura%20(Ecuador)%20(EFE),la%20provincia%20ecuatoriana%20de%20Imbabura.   La \u00abMonta\u00f1a de Luz\u00bb, un \u00ablaboratorio vivo\u00bb de unas 30.000 plantas en Ecuador 24 junio 2023 Por Susana Madera | Imbabura (Ecuador) (EFE).- Lo que un d\u00eda fue una agreste monta\u00f1a, llena de maleza y arbustos, se ha transformado en un \u00ablaboratorio vivo\u00bb con unas 30.000 plantas sembradas de diferentes especies y variedades […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ocean_front_end_style_editor":"no","ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"0","ocean_second_sidebar":"0","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"0","ocean_custom_header_template":"0","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"0","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"0","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"0","_joinchat":[],"ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"on","ocean_gallery_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articulos","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/montanadeluzec.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/montanadeluzec.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/montanadeluzec.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montanadeluzec.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montanadeluzec.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3188"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/montanadeluzec.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3188\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3190,"href":"https:\/\/montanadeluzec.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3188\/revisions\/3190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/montanadeluzec.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montanadeluzec.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montanadeluzec.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}