Article by Rebecca Aird and Anthony Leaning (Ottawa, Canada)
>> read our complete Vilcabamba Nature Guide

Arriving by road from Loja, glimpses of the Vilcabamba valley appear as you crest the rim from the valley of Malacatos. Descending through the village of San Pedro de Vilcabamba, a panorama of the valley opens up. The valley floor is a patchwork of sugarcane and corn fields, mixed orchards and gardens, and small groves of bamboo and trees. The town of Vilcabamba lies at the center of this patchwork, with its plaza (main square) at an elevation of 1560 m.

Most of the hillsides that rise up from the valley floor are below 2000 m (6560 ft). The highest are 2200 m (7200 ft). Pastureland dominates the slopes, criss-crossed by an almost geometric pattern of cow, donkey and horse tracks. To the southeast, rising up beyond these hillsides, are the mountains at the head of the valley’s watershed. These mountains, reaching an elevation of 3700 m (over 12,000 ft), lie within the western side of Podocarpus National Park.

Climate
The climate of Vilcabamba is temperate sub-tropical; sometimes proudly referred to by locals as “perpetual spring”. At lower elevations, the temperature ranges between about 13 and 24oC (55 to 75 oF), with an average around 20oC (68oF). In this climate, papaya, banana and chirimoya flourish alongside blackberries (mora) and oranges.

The Rains
The contrast between wet and dry seasons is striking. For example, total monthly rainfall in February is usually around 140 mm (55 inches), while the typical August rainfall is closer to 15 mm (6 inches). The wet season begins in October or November, but during these months there are still many days with no rainfall. By far, most of the valley’s 800 mm (315 inches) of annual rainfall comes in the months of December through April. In these months, a typical day begins with a sunny, hot morning. Clouds develop in the afternoon, bringing quite heavy rainfall for two hours or more. These afternoon rains are often accompanied by lightning and thunder.
As a rough guide, Vilcabamba has about 200 rainless days per year; and in the dry season, long stretches of clear skies are typical. The reality, though, is that rain is a possibility at any time of year. A dark storm may brew up on one side of the valley, while the other remains sunny and warm. Hikers are often taken by surprise when a sudden downpour arrives minutes after they have been sweating in the heat of what seemed like a relentless sun.

Wet and Dry Season Landscapes
Vilcabamba’s dry season landscape of arid, brown hills -- on which only cactus, acacia and other dry-tolerant plants thrive -- contrasts strongly with the lush greenness of the wet season landscape. Many trees and shrubs lose all or most of their leaves in the dry season. With the rains, the hillsides come alive with grasses, and with the many other varieties of plants, shrubs and trees that spring into action to produce new leaves and flowers.

Microclimates
Climate of course varies with altitude. At the lower levels in the valley, the mean annual temperature is about 20oC (68oF). At 3000 m (about 10,000 ft), the mean annual temperature is closer to 10 oC (50 oF). Also, the amount of rainfall increases with altitude, at least up to 2500 m (about 8000 ft).

Microclimates within the valley are also created by differences in landform (topography), and type of vegetation. Within quite small areas, temperature, wind patterns, and humidity can differ fairly dramatically from those of the surroundings. For example, hillside gullies are often considerably cooler and more humid than the surrounding slopes.

Rivers and Hydrology
Vilcabamba’s rivers are by turns life-giving and destructive, and a source of both pleasure and frustration for local residents and tourists alike. The rivers are the source for piped water, and support more than a dozen irrigation projects covering hundreds of hectares of land. Many residents bathe and do laundry in the rivers, picnic on their shores, and swim and float on inner-tubes in the deeper sections. But the rivers are also associated with erratic, sudden and sometimes dangerous torrents, flooding and course changes. The extremes in character are linked to both the nature of the rivers, and to climate. The quality of Vilcabamba’s water has been identified as one possible reason for the health and reputed longevity of the local population. As the rain that feeds the headwaters of Vilcabamba’s rivers filters through the thick mat of vegetation in the paramo , it picks up minerals, including manganese, magnesium, selenium and zinc. Among other benefits, the manganese in the water is a chelating agent. It chemically binds with metals, including toxic heavy metals such as lead and mercury, so that they are neutralized and are more easily flushed from the body. This may account for the apparently very low concentration of these toxic metals in Vilcabamba’s older people. A healthy ratio of calcium to magnesium in the valley’s elders has also been attributed to the water, and is associated, among other things, with reduced risk of osteoporosis. The Agua de Hierro water is said to have additional medicinal benefits.

Human influences
Throughout the valley, in some cases right up to the boundary of Podocarpus Park, the landscape has been massively altered by human activity. Human-induced change began with pre-Inca settlement, but has greatly increased in recent decades. While the valley is still an appealing environment, the changes have generally reduced biodiversity (the variety and abundance of plant and animal species). This is not because of willful destruction. It results from people’s efforts to make ends meet and to improve their material well-being, many local people understand the valley’s environment well, and have a strong sense of connection to it.

Until relatively recent times, Vilcabamba was quite isolated. Before construction of the road between Loja and Vilcabamba, the 50 km (30 mile) journey from Loja by horse or mule-train was long and grueling. At that time, the population of the valley was still small enough to sustain itself primarily on the fertile land in the valley bottom and near-by gentle slopes; and this is where the haciendas were concentrated. The legal awarding of new land for colonization, combined with the agrarian reform of the early 1970s, had the effect of attracting new colonists, spreading ownership amongst more people, and extending activity over a greater land area. This resulted in increased deforestation of the hillsides, as agriculture moved up onto the slopes. There has been out-migration from the valley for over 20 years; and in recent years, local population size has actually gone down as people leave for economic reasons. The current population of the valley is in the order of 7000 people. Agriculture and livestock remain the foundations of livelihood for about 75% of the residents of the valley. Most of the remainder work in tourism. A relatively recent trend is the purchase of land by people who live and work elsewhere, and visit for rest and recreation. This has resulted in an increase in land cost.

Agriculture, Livestock and Reforestation
Most families maintain huertos, often next to the home. These are small, mixed-use gardens, as shown in the photo to the right. Much of what is grown is for use by the family (i.e., subsistence agriculture), though some produce may be marketed locally. Larger areas of land, both at the valley bottom and on irrigated slopes, may also be devoted to single crops, in particular, sugar cane and corn. Coffee is also grown in the valley, sometimes planted amongst other trees. Most of the hillside land is devoted to grazing cows, mules and horses. Because of tourism, horses are more important in Vilcabamba than in surrounding valleys. Reforestation efforts have been very modest, and have used mainly non-native species. In particular, eucalyptus and pine, have been planted both randomly and in small plantations. The eucalyptus, native to Australia, is fast growing, is not sensitive to soil type, and can be planted on very steep slopes. There are drawbacks to the use of introduced species; and eucalyptus species in particular release chemicals into the soil that inhibit growth of other plants. However, they do provide an option to control soil erosion, as well as a source of wood to help offset demands on indigenous forests. Some efforts have also been made to plant a local species of alder along rivers, to stabilize soils.

Environmental Impacts
The original vegetation that covered most of the valley floor and lower slopes was likely tropical dry forest (pre-montane and low montane). The dry tropical forest existed in Vilcabamba because of the overall aridity of the valley, and the marked dry season. In this type of forest, many species lose some or all of their leaves in the dry season. At higher elevations, the forest gave way to shrubs, and above this, to natural grassland. It is widely believed that the huilco tree was a dominant species prior to deforestation, although there is some dispute about whether it was native to the area, or introduced by the Inca. While there is no undisturbed primary forest left in the valley, there are small wooded areas that include the huilco.

Please visit the following links to learn more about the Vilcabamba plant systems and species:

Land-clearing for wood, agriculture and pasture has of course led to extinction of endemic species. It also led to the introduction of exotic species, and to changes in species composition. Exotic species are not limited to those that were purposefully brought in for agriculture. Many species were introduced as a by-product of human activity. The acacia, for example, soon became widespread with the introduction of livestock.
While the valley of Vilcabamba has a relatively broad, fertile base, a high proportion of the land is still steeply sloping. Soils are already thin on steep lands, and the risk of erosion is high. Erosive forces include both the heavy rains in the wet season, and the hot dry winds in the dry season. According to most studies, and to land classification systems, an undisturbed cover of vegetation is generally best for such areas. But given population pressures and poverty, even steeply sloping lands in the valley are farmed or cleared for pasture. Practices to minimize erosion (e.g., terracing or the planting of windbreaks) are not in general use. These issues are by no means unique to Vilcabamba. Most of the Ecuadorian Andes have been deforested, and have experienced massive erosion.Rainwater runoff is generally slower where the soil is deeper, and where there is more vegetative cover and an associated root system. Thus human activity in the valley has probably resulted not only in more intensive occasional surges and flash floods, but also in reduced soil moisture, and possibly in lower flow in streams and rivers between surges.

Signs of Hope
A local non-profit organization, Fundación Colinas Verdes, has been working since 1994 to promote improvements in land use. The organization’s strategy is to link conservation of natural resources with improved production, so that farmers benefit directly from conservation initiatives. An example of successful implementation of this strategy is Proyecto Toronche, on the slopes at the north end of the valley. Here, water from a protected forest reserve, El Bosque, is piped to 26 farms by a water system that was community constructed, and is community owned and managed. Numerous other individuals and organizations are exploring, encouraging and implementing better land-use alternatives. A beekeepers association promotes beekeeping as an economically viable alternative use of pastureland, and there is also a local organic farmers group. Some landowners are also making an effort to integrate low-impact “arboculture” (fruit and coffee trees) into a naturalized landscape, and to encourage regeneration of forests on some of their land. Ecotourism creates an incentive for landholders with tourist facilities to protect natural features and species.

With better processing and marketing, there is potential for more earnings from existing agricultural products. This could in turn reduce pressures on marginal lands. For example, as the sense of consumer responsibility grows, some North Americans and Europeans are creating market demand for organic and shade-grown (bird-friendly) coffee, and for “fair-trade” coffee, where producers get a larger share of the profits. This market might help Vilcabamba’s coffee growers to earn more than they currently receive in the domestic market. There may be similar opportunities with sugar. Earning possibilities from some of the “natural” products of the land (e.g., honey, indigenous herbs for medicines, teas and cooking) may also be further developed.
Also important are the opportunities to earn income from tourism. The most obvious opportunities are in basic services related to accommodation and food. However, visitors can also stimulate the development of more creative services. These include services that require little capital investment, and that therefore introduce opportunities for those who are cash poor. One example is nature-guiding. There are many spin-off benefits when visitors hire a guide to gain local insight into the natural environment. Not only do they support livelihood options, they also create incentives for local people to maintain and improve on their land-based knowledge, and promote greater local interest in the protection of natural systems and features.

Credit: Natural Vilcabamba a Guide for the naturally curious,  © by Rebecca Aird and Anthony Leaning