At TUNACONS, we experienced another inspiring – and very revealing – day alongside Fenacopec.
As we planted mangroves and collected plastic waste, we saw with our own eyes the scale of the problem: tonnes of rubbish trapped among the roots of this vital ecosystem.
An ecosystem that gives us life…
And although it wasn’t created for this purpose, it now acts as a natural filter, stopping our waste from reaching the open sea.
This rubbish doesn’t appear by magic. It comes from our cities, located very close to these areas, where we are still not doing enough to reduce plastic use.
This pollution also affects the communities of the Gulf of Guayaquil, who are already struggling without basic services: no clean water, no electricity, no waste collection, and even less security.
Mangroves are not just trees.
They are home, food, and protection for thousands of families and species.
But today, the mangroves are calling for help. And their call is urgent.
The Gulf of Guayaquil is no ordinary ecosystem:
✅ Its mangroves store more carbon than tropical forests, helping to combat climate change.
✅ They protect our coasts from storms and erosion, acting as natural shields even for the city of Guayaquil.
✅ They harbour a unique biodiversity, comparable in richness – though different in form – to that of the Galápagos Islands.
At TUNACONS, we are deeply committed to protecting these ecosystems and supporting the wellbeing of the artisanal fishers who depend on them.
But we can’t do it alone. We need more support from public institutions that must help change this current reality, as well as from the private sector and organised civil society, who all benefit from the services mangroves provide.
Protecting mangroves – and the people who live from them – is a shared responsibility.
Because this planet doesn’t belong to just a few…
This world belongs to all of us.