Municipal reserves in progress: a powerful strategy in the Sierras de Ambato

Between May 5 and 9, Natura Argentina accompanied one of the most important milestones in municipal environmental planning in our country: the participatory process for the preparation of the Management Plans of three Municipal Nature Reserves that make up the Mosaic of Reserves of the Sierras de Ambato, in Catamarca.

This mosaic, composed of the reserves of Huillapima, Saujil and Capayán, not only represents a territorial conservation strategy, but also a concrete experience of intermunicipal articulation with strong citizen participation. Together, they form a biological and cultural corridor that protects biodiversity, local memory and living identities.

During five days, community activities, technical workshops and institutional seminars were held in different locations: Concepción, Los Ángeles, Saujil and Chumbicha. There, the general guidelines of the management plans were shared and the first steps of a common roadmap for each of the protected areas were collectively constructed.

 

The participatory election of the names of the reserves was one of the most symbolic moments of the week. From now on, the mosaic will be made up of the Municipal Nature Reserve “El Manchao” (Saujil), the Municipal Nature Reserve “Mogote de la Cruz” (Huillapima) and the Municipal Nature Reserve “Los Capayanes” (Capayán).

This process is deeply aligned with Natura Argentina’s management model, which combines technical work, sustainable production, citizen participation, socio-environmental linkages and the design of regulatory and financial tools to guarantee the sustainability of each project.

In the territory of the Sierras de Ambato, this translates into an approach that includes from the survey of conservation values to the sharing with the communities about the uses and meanings of the territory. The information gathered through the initial diagnoses makes it possible to design plans that not only protect biodiversity, but also respect and support traditional livelihoods.

The planning of these areas is based on a conservation vision integrated with the community. The meetings held during the week demonstrated the local commitment to the future of the territory: from officials and councilors to schools, firefighters and community media were actively involved in the activities.

A key example was the meeting in Chumbicha, where the community collectively decided the name of the new reserve “Los Capayanes”, in homage to the history and cultural legacy of the territory. This decision reinforces the symbolic value and sense of belonging that conservation can generate when it is built with the people.

 

In addition to the participatory work, the week included technical training for the municipal teams and for representatives of Mutquín, which is developing its own protected area proposal. These spaces strengthen local capacities and create new possibilities for expanding the model.

Natura Argentina conceives protected areas as spaces that should generate public value, and therefore promotes transparency, access to information and participation in all stages of the process. In Ambato, this is reflected in every open meeting, every shared map, every collective decision.

The socio-environmental linkage is also present in the proposals for articulation with the educational system, which will be a central part of the development of the plan in the coming months. Activities with local schools and training proposals for teachers and students are already being planned.

In the future, the Management Plan being designed for the Ambato Mosaic will seek to become a concrete, applicable tool with a strong local identity, capable of balancing environmental conservation, sustainable production and community strengthening.

With this initiative, Catamarca is taking a fundamental step towards a model of inclusive environmental governance rooted in the territory. Natura Argentina will continue to follow this path, convinced that reserves are much more than natural areas: they are living spaces where a common future is being built.

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