INTRODUCTION

Ecological restoration is the process of supporting the restablishment of an ecosystem that has been degenerated, damaged or destroyed.

Ecological restoration is a deliberate activity that initiates or accelerates the recovery of an ecosystem regarding its ecological situation, integrity and sustainibility. Often the ecosystem that requires restoration has been degenertaed, damaged, transformed or completely destroyed as a direct  or indirect result of human activity, up to the point that the ecosystem on its own cannot restablish itself to its state previous to the modification or the historic incidences of development, as a result of inappropiate exploitation of biological ressources.
We are conscious about that the ecological restoration needs to be supported and even may depend on the participation of local people on a long term scale. For this reason our proposal for ecological restoration accommodates the processes of cultural change in a way that accepts and supports new sustainable and culturally appropiate practices while taking the conditions of current limitations into account.

The area of influence of the proposal is located in the cloud forest of Qosñipata which is found in the biogeographic space located in South Eastern Peru and immersed in the Neotropics, one of the richest zones on the entire globe in terms of plant species (Galiano, W.; Núñez, P.; Valenzuela, L. et al 2001), showing a very abrupt physiography with steep hillsides, and narrow abisms down to 1000 m deep. Numerous zones of Amazon forests and the "eyebrow of the jungle" or cloud forests are threatened due to the exploitation of timber, the expansion of cattle ranches and agricultural activities, because of its accessibility. The biodiversity in these ecosystems is high, for example the number of orquid species is estimated to exceed 500 species and the endemics of plant and animal species are relevant, as new species have been registered over the last years; nevertheless there is no appropiate scientific knowledge or biological exploration on them available.

The idea to propose an ecological restoration has come up due to:

First, it is an initiative for investigation and development planted by the local people of the Chontachaca area, who have seen themselves affected by the loss of biological diversity, due to the total lack of knowledge regarding all ecological processes that occur within balanced ecosystems.

Second, the private plot “Palmaceda”, considers its purpose to contribute to environmental issues of the area with an academic and scientific foundation, thus permitting the restoration and conservation through the management of wild plant species, the reintroduction of locally extinct species and the restablishment of destroyed or partially or totally degenerated communities.

Finally, through carrying out the project on the private plot "Palmaceda" and adjacent plots of Chontachaca, and due to its natural potential and the strong ecological disturbances in its territory, we consider to continue and strengthen the interest of the local people of Chontachaca to take actions towards conservation. The proposal will contribute with measures that aim at avoiding the disappearance of ressources, promoting their conservation, recovery and possible future use.

The proposal will contribute with measures that aim at avoiding the disappearance of ressources, promoting their conservation, recovery and possible future use.