Ecuador: Select mangrove laws

Constitución de Ecuador  (Constitution) Art. 406 (The State shall regulate the conservation, management and sustainable use, recovery, and domain limitations of fragile and threatened ecosystems; among others, wetlands, dry and humid tropical forests and mangroves, marine and marine-coastal ecosystems).

Ley Forestal y de Conservación de Áreas Naturales y Vida Silvestre (Forestry and Conservation of protected areas and wildlife Law) Art. 1 (Mangroves – even those existing in private properties – are considered State property and are out of commerce, are not susceptible to possession or any other means of appropriation and may only be exploited through a concession granted)  Art. 78 (Whoever prunes, tails, debarks, destroys, alters, transforms, acquires, transports, markets, or uses the forests of mangrove areas without the corresponding contract, license or authorization, or that, having them, exceeds what is authorized, will be sanctioned with fines equivalent to the value of one to ten general minimum wages and the confiscation of the products, livestock, tools, equipment, means of transport and other instruments used in these actions, without prejudice to the corresponding criminal action. If  felling, burning or destructive action is carried out  in mangroves or if it alters the climate regime, causes erosion, or is prone to disasters, it will be sanctioned with a fine equivalent to one hundred percent of the value of the restoration of the cleared or destroyed area).

Reglamento para la ordenación, conservación, manejo y aprovechamiento del manglar    (Regulation for the ordinance, conservation, management and exploitation of mangroves) Art. 7 (activities allowed in the mangrove areas are ecological tourism, recreational and non destructive activities, traditional and non destructive activities, and artisanal activities. Non destructive activites are those that; do not alter vegetation cover, do not interrupt the flow of fresh water to the mangroves, do not alter the flow of the water from the tides into the mangroves and do not introduce species of flora and fauna that affect the ecosystem).

Texto Unificado de la Legislación Secundaria del Ministerio del Ambiente. (Secondary legislation from the Ministry of Enviroment) Art. 1 (Basic environmental policies) Policy 16 (The Ecuadorian State, without prejudice to serving the entire national territory, contributing to solve environmental problems and trying to achieve the adequate management that the country requires, will give priority to the treatment and solution of environmental problems that see or threaten on specific geographic regions among them mangrove ecosystems in the Ecuadorian coast). Art. 7 (The National Forestry Direction has the attributions and responsabilities to b) Manage and conserve the State Forest Heritage and the protective forests and vegetation and existing resources in the wetlands, mangroves and paramos).