In the Andean highlands of Ecuador, the Japanese concept of Satoyama – societies living in harmony with nature – is not an abstract ideal, but a lived reality. I saw this firsthand visiting the community of Zuleta with partners from the Community Development and Knowledge Management for the Satoyama Initiative Programme (COMDEKS).

While there, I found myself sitting barefoot atop a windy páramo – a fragile high-mountain ecosystem, home to critical water sources and unique biodiversity like the Andean bear. As I listened to the experiences of community members Carlos Sandoval and Mayra Perugachi, I felt a quiet sense of grounding and perspective.

Carlos, a young environmental engineer, returned home after graduating to invest in Zuleta’s future, strengthening biodiversity-based enterprises while nurturing the next generation of environmental leaders.

Mayra, the community’s Vice President, balances family responsibilities with her role as an Indigenous leader. A mother, daughter, and defender of Zuleta’s ecosystems, she embodies the intersection of resilience, gender equality, and environmental justice. Her reflections on community empowerment during COVID-19 highlighted how social cohesion is as essential to conservation as any technical intervention.

Hearing their stories – humble, hopeful and deeply interwoven with their land – was one of the most meaningful moments of my visit: it reminded me that beauty and purpose still thrive, and that communities like this hold the wisdom we need to rebuild our relationship with nature.

A Landscape Shaped by Community Care

People like Carlos and Mayra drive Zuleta’s conservation success. For over 30 years, the community has protected nearly 2,400 hectares of high-altitude ecosystems with support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP), implemented by UNDP. SGP Ecuador has been using the biocorridor approach which provides financial and technical support to local communities to restore and protect critical landscapes. With this support Zuleta community have been able to:

• Reduce habitat fragmentation and restore biodiversity by reforesting over 100 hectares of land with native trees.
• Build climate resilience by constructing firebreaks and strengthening wildfire response.
• Create sustainable livelihoods via local bio-enterprises.

This approach embodies Satoyama by linking conservation, culture, and livelihoods within a shared landscape. As a community member noted during the project design process, “a territory is a llacta” – a Quechua word meaning not just a village, but a living whole connecting people, land, and life itself. 

Building a Sustainable Local Economy

One of this project’s most inspiring aspects is how Zuleta has woven together conservation and economic opportunity by creating a network of 13 bio-enterprises. Led by women and youth, this initiative unites producers, public institutions and community leaders to ensure protecting high-value ecosystems directly supports sustainable livelihoods – from alpaca wool clothing and recycled wood crafts to agroecological products and traditional embroidery. 

Innovation is flourishing: alpaca fiber garments now feature signature Zuleta embroidery, creating products with a strong sense of place and identity, which reach national markets thanks to the network. During my visit to the local market, the vibrant colours and patterns of Zuleta’s embroidery stood out as symbols of how a united community can drive both ecological resilience and economic empowerment while strengthening cultural heritage.

From Local Enterprise to Global Inspiration 

Zuleta’s success offers a blueprint for the change our world urgently needs, showing how the vision of UNDP’s Nature Pledge materializes on the ground. Coming from a Small Island Developing State with a career rooted at the grassroots level, I know the most profound solutions often rise up from the ground. Today, as part of the global team managing SGP, I experience every day how local action can create global impact.

As we mark Earth Day 2026 under the theme ‘Our Power, Our Planet,’ we recognize that environmental progress relies on communities like Zuleta. What I found there was more than a project site visit – it was a powerful testament to resilience, collective stewardship, and the enduring connection between people and the ecosystems that sustain them.

Sitting barefoot on that windy páramo, I remembered the Andean ethos rooted in the Pachamama: that nature, though often defenseless against human pressures, depends on our choices and our advocacy – we are the voice of nature. Communities like Zuleta embody this guardianship, showing how resilience is shared between people, ecosystems, and generations. I left with renewed hope, knowing that lasting change begins with communities deeply connected to their land and committed to protecting it.