Samborondón, a Generation Restoration pilot city, launched a project planting 6,000 mangrove trees in a one-hectare pilot restoration site. The project featured innovative pedagogical approaches incorporating art and dance to enhance ecosystem restoration education, and recommended a legal framework for the restoration site to become a protected municipal conservation area.

About the city

The city of Samborondón is home to just over 100,000 people. A riverine city, Samborondón is located in the central-west of Ecuador between the Daule and Babahoyo Rivers, which converge to form the Guayas River that feeds to the Pacific Ocean. It is surrounded by important ecosystems such as estuaries and mangroves, and has a hot, tropical climate characterized by wet and dry seasons. Samborondón is directly adjacent to the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city with a metro population of approximately 3 million people. Samborondón is thus economically connected to Guayaquil, while itself is a growing economic and commercial center.

Local challenges

Samborondón’s low-lying, riverine location makes parts of the city vulnerable to flooding, especially close to the river confluence and during rainy seasons or high tides. With increased climate change, stronger storms and precipitation events coupled with sea-level rise may increasingly threaten the city. Increasing temperatures, heatwaves, and droughts also pose challenges. At the same time, urban sprawl has expanded the city’s footprint into the important ecosystems that protect it from these same challenges, exacerbating climate hazards. Samborondón additionally suffers from pollution challenges, particularly associated with residential and industrial wastewater, due to the city’s proximity to Guayaquil and both cities’ shared waterways. 

The mangrove ecosystems in Samborondón are vital for their ecological and economic benefits: mangroves absorb heavy metals and capture carbon emissions, provide shelter and reproductive habitats for diverse fauna, and are natural carbon sinks that filter sediments and nutrients. However, mangroves in Samborondón are threatened by anthropogenic activities such as the expansion of aquaculture (notably shrimp farms) and built environment infrastructure due to urbanization, which jeopardize the ecological functions of these ecosystems. The pilot project specifically focused on a one-hectare, degraded mangrove ecosystem located within the Samborondón Historical Park, located along the Daule River.

Action through Generation Restoration

The Generation Restoration pilot project in Samborondón aimed to restore mangrove ecosystems while promoting citizen engagement in restoration techniques, and provide policy recommendations for mangrove restoration. 

The project initiated with a spatial data gathering phase on the restoration site at the Samborondón Historical Park, to assess the site’s biodiversity pre-intervention, and develop a technical and methodological proposal for the implementation of mangrove restoration activities. As part of the site characterization, various field visits were conducted to sample and inventory plant, bird, insect, and spider biodiversity. Furthermore, a diagnosis of the state of mangrove health was conducted, which was found to be low based on various stressors. While the restoration activities for the pilot project focused on a one-hectare site, an additional 155.8 hectares were identified and characterized for future restoration work. 

From this planning process, restoration work was then initiated. The project applied various restoration techniques, including the manual clearing of invasive species from the area, the use of cleared materials to create a natural barrier along the riverbank to prevent plant loss due to tidal flow, and extensive planting efforts. Six thousand mangroves were planted using the nucleation planting method, in which 5 to 7 plants are planted in a star formation to encourage natural competition and the establishment of mangrove growth in groups, as is found in nature.

Three hands-on mangrove restoration workshops were held with a total of 83 participants, including schoolteachers, government officials, and students. Workshop activities included practical techniques for mangrove restoration, such as caring for propagules in water and germinating jelí mangrove seeds. These actions promoted both technical knowledge and ecological awareness among the participants, including teachers, technical staff, and local communities.

Another educational component conducted through the project was a series of seminars, aimed for different audiences including teachers and students, operational and administrative staff from the Samborondón Historical Park and the government, and crab fishermen from nearby communities. The seminars consisted of a presentation of scientific and regulatory information on mangrove restoration, including technical guidance on restoration techniques. 

In addition, the project featured extensive policy analysis and outreach components. This included analysis of relevant local, national, and international policies and legal frameworks related to mangrove restoration. The analysis yielded amendments and recommendations for national and local legislation, including the issuance of a municipal ordinance by the Mayor’s office to make the Samborondón Historical Park a protected municipal conservation area, which would offer legal stability and alignment with national and international conservation frameworks.

Main outcomes

The project resulted in the successful restoration of a one-hectare mangrove site, through the techniques of manual clearing, barrier construction, and planting of 6,000 mangrove seedlings. It also generated rich scientific and spatial data on the area of intervention, including baseline biodiversity data. Site monitoring following restoration work showed that populations of harmful insects had decreased, while beneficial insects became more predominant, indicating good ecosystem health post-intervention. Furthermore, the project generated  data on areas for future restoration work, positioning the project well for scale-up. 

This restoration site became a living laboratory for scientific research, engaging students and researchers in hands-on fieldwork and educational activities related to sustainable development, botany, flora and fauna management, and ecosystem restoration. The project has also attracted the attention of international entities, including the 2025 UN Ocean Conference’s Scientific Expertise Forum on Mangroves, and the First International Mangrove Congress, which was held in Samborondón.

A surprising and inspiring aspect of the project was the involvement of children and university students in educational activities focused on restoration, as well as the use of art and dance, to raise awareness and promote education related to mangrove ecosystems, highlighting the importance of innovative pedagogical techniques to support community engagement. In general, the project has promoted a positive shift in behavior across the entire involved community, supporting the conservation of mangrove ecosystems in the city and strengthening environmental education. 

The project produced a legal and policy framework recommending the declaration of the Samborondón Historical Park as a protected municipal conservation area, strengthening the city’s long-term environmental governance.

Finally, there were various outcomes beyond the pilot project. An additional investment by the Samborondón Municipality enabled the restoration of one additional hectare, as well as ongoing planting and maintenance of the restored areas. The project also resulted in the creation of two municipal ordinances to regulate nature-based solutions and sustainable construction practices. Furthermore, the project enabled the exchange of restoration practices with other Ecuadorian cities, such as Guayaquil and Naranjal, as well as with 90 grantees from associations of mangrove custodians in Ecuador. Ongoing dissemination of the results of the pilot project has also occurred in local, national, and international forums.

Highlight impact metrics

Social: 

  • Project involved tourists, schools, and scientists

  • 300,000 visitors to the Samborondón Historical Park have been exposed to the project

Environmental: 

  • 1 hectare restored

  • 1 additional hectare subsequently restored by the Samborondón Municipality

  • An additional 155.8 surveyed for future restoration work

  • 6,000 mangrove trees planted

  • 7 species identified (4 plant species and 3 types of insects)

Economic:

  • $40,000 USD budget leveraged from the Samborondón Municipality to restore an additional one-hectare area and ensure ongoing maintenance of the restored areas

Pilot City

City Map

Partners

Ecosystem Types

Freshwaters, Oceans and coasts and Urban areas

Project Budget

$110,000 USD ($70,000 USD through Generation Restoration and $40,000 USD leveraged from the Samborondón Municipality)

Project Duration

August 2024 – August 2025

Climate, Biodiversity, and Pollution Risks Addressed

  • Extreme temperatures
  • Sea-level rise
  • Extreme precipitation / flooding
  • Habitat destruction
  • Invasive species
  • Species loss / extinction
  • Ecosystem degradation
  • Water pollution
  • Soil contamination

Restoration Techniques Applied

  • Erosion control
  • Invasive species control
  • Mangrove restoration
  • Native species
  • Riverbank restoration

Key learnings & next steps

Key learnings include important scientific and community engagement insights for scaling up mangrove restoration in other communities:

  • Technical learnings: Technical learnings include the importance of barrier creation along the riverbank, reducing tidal impacts on mangrove seedlings to ensure growth. Furthermore, maintenance and continuous monitoring of invasive species proved essential, as the river carries various plant seeds that colonize mangrove areas and cause land use changes, until mangroves reach approximately 5 meters in height and their natural shade prevents invasive plant growth. Construction of channels also helped to restore the natural flow of the river and thus reduced the colonization of invasive species, while some organisms such as iguanas also provided biological control by feeding on the vegetation around the mangroves.

  • Demonstration site: The project’s use of a pilot restoration site proved useful to demonstrate successes on a small scale, while positioning itself well to replicate the work on a larger scale. Accordingly, the project also benefited from seeking funding and support from a broad coalition of stakeholders, including academic institutions and local communities, ensuring a broad array of diverse actors were involved in the project and committed to its success.

  • Innovations in education: Creative educational activities, such as art and dance, effectively increased ecological awareness, especially among children and youth.

  • Knowledge sharing and recognition: Another key learning relates to the importance of knowledge sharing and technology transfer among similar projects in the area, as other projects offer additional opportunities to replicate important work. For example, best practices shared by the nearby community of Santay Island, a coastal area near Samborondón where 123 hectares of mangroves were restored, contributed to successful implementation in Samborondón. The project has also gained recognition as a pilot initiative to be replicated in other coastal areas of the country, particularly due to the participation of key stakeholders, including mangrove crab fishermen who sold mangrove seedlings to the project, local farmers from Samborondón got involved in mangrove planting, and the academic institutions that provided technical and scientific monitoring support to the project.

Moving forward, the Municipality of Samborondón has officially designated specific areas where restoration will be progressively implemented from the 155.8 hectares analyzed through the pilot project, depending on the funding secured from both international and local resources. The project team is seeking to secure funding to replicate restoration actions in these areas and within the city, including efforts to incorporate the planting of mangrove trees and other species into urban ecosystems as part of the Municipal Operational Plan.

Meet the community

I was in charge of supervising the area cleanup and mangrove planting activities, as well as the monitoring carried out as part of the restoration of one hectare of mangroves in the Samborondón Historical Park. The community members who carried out the cleaning and planting work learned that maintaining the vegetation barrier on the riverbank prevents the tide from washing away plants, how to properly remove sediment when building channels, and how to apply the star-shaped mangrove planting technique.

—Katherine Vera, Environmental engineering student

As an environmental engineer and resident of the Municipality of Samborondón, I feel deeply grateful for this project. I have witnessed the positive results of initiatives such as the creation of pocket forests and the technical, sustainable management of the city’s green areas, which provide healthy spaces for both people and ecosystems. The use and restoration of native species represent concrete actions to strengthen urban and productive resilience in the face of climate change.

I would like to highlight the outstanding work carried out by the Public Parks Company, which, through the reforestation of mangrove species in Samborondón Historical Park along the banks of the Daule River—one of the main tributaries that forms the Guayas River, one of the largest in the country—helps mitigate the impacts of tides, prevents surface runoff, and protects one of Ecuador’s richest ecosystems.

—Gabriel Gutiérrez, Environmental Engineer and visitor to the Samborondón Historical Park

Beyond Restoration

Samborondón has its own Parish Development and Land-Use Zoning Plan, which emphasizes the importance of protecting natural areas for tourism and quality of life. Samborondón’s Risk Management Department has developed Minimum Standards for Risk Prevention and Reduction for Land-Use Planning, Use, and Management and Construction, with detailed prescriptions for nature-based solutions. Similarly, Samborondón’s Sustainability Plan and Sustainable Construction Ordinance requires that 20% of total construction area be designated as green space. These types of instruments, accompanied by educational programs and inter-institutional partnerships, are essential for integrating urban development with environmental protection, ensuring healthy and resilient spaces for present and future generations.

Other initiatives strengthening the city’s sustainability and citizen wellbeing include construction of Bicentennial Park, which covers an area of 25,000 m², of which 65% is green space. Bicentennial Park stands out as the first park in Ecuador to obtain SITES Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Samborondón has also conducted other projects that incorporate nature-based solutions. Examples include Biolago, which involved collaboration with the private sector to create bio-pools and artificial wetlands. A YesInnovation project was implemented with support from the World Food Programme, which utilized a co-management model and focused on rainwater harvesting, filtration systems, and floating gardens. Another project, Siembra Samborondón, involves community-based tree planting to reduce urban temperatures.