A Solution to the Pollution in the Ecuadorean Amazon
 

The Amazon Mycorenewal Project was formed in 2006 and has been working in the Ecuadorean Amazon since 2007 investigating the use of mycoremediation (fungi used for remediation of contaminated soils)

 

Project location: Lago Agrio, Sucumbios, Ecuador
 

Mission and purpose of the Mycorestoration Research Project:

 

This project is designed to:

 
 
  • research and evaluate use of native mycelium in an oil-contaminated area of the Ecuadorian Amazon;
  • train local residents to advance implementation of mycorestoration throughout the region; and
  • disseminate resources and information to further research and expand mycoremediation applications.

 

Over 40 years of oil-extraction in the Ecuadorian Amazon have created what is likely the worst oil-related disaster on the planet. 

 

A Solution to the Pollution in the Ecuadorian Amazon aims to reverse this crisis by using fungi (mycoremediation and mycofiltration) bacteria and plants to enzymatically break down petroleum hydrocarbons in water and soil. 

 

Mycelial networks function as a filter, allowing water to flow through its membranes, while retaining and dismantling contaminants. 

 

This reduction will improve the region’s soil and water quality, the health of the surrounding community, and enhance the extensive biodiversity of the region. 

 

The research implements this innovative technology, proven effective in laboratory and small-scale field studies, through a carefully planned training process. 

 

The study entails an international team of mycologists and other specialists working with local NGOs to prepare Ecuadorian mentors with the knowledge to perpetuate the process in additional sites through a collective support and teaching structure. 

 

Conventional remediation methods being evaluated for the region costs an estimated six billion dollars and involve digging up, hauling out, and disposing of an enormous amount of contaminated land. The proposed mycoremediation techniques are more economically feasible, socially responsible and ecologically sound. The implementation of mycorestoration strategies is much more affordable, less labor intensive and utilizes local labor and native resources to expedite the restoration of the region.

 

 

We are employing the use of Bioremediation and Permaculture principles. Permaculture is a holistic approach to how we design our lives and our relationship to all the systems that support us. The principles and practices of Permaculture are rooted in indigenous wisdom and natural patterns, along with the integration of the appropriate technologies of today. By using these design skills, this research provides the most progressive and integrated approach available today, in empowering people in utilizing biological resources to remediate polluted land and foster environmental justice.

 

By securing funding for this initiative we will be able to afford the resources to make soil and water sampling to document the baseline amounts of petroleum hydrocarbons in the soil and the water. This will afford us the opportunity to determine the advantageous use of fungi in bioremediation for mitigating the impact of oil spills and other contamination. 

 

The project team is working with a local University on the design and implementation of the most effective process possible

If you would like to find out more or help fund this critical project, tax deductible donations can be sent via....


 

http://amazonmycorenewal.org/

 


For the 15 minute film "Solution to the Pollution" see

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO1WjFRL_XA


 

 

 

 


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