Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries.

Ecuador’s Antisana páramo, southeast of Quito, offers a striking example of ecological restoration, turning back the clock on centuries of degradation caused by livestock grazing, reports contributor Ana Cristina Alvarado for Mongabay.

Once dominated by sprawling cattle ranches, the area’s delicate high-altitude ecosystem has slowly recovered since 2010, when the Quito Water Conservation Fund (FONAG) and the city’s water utility bought land from former sheep ranchers. By removing nonnative livestock and restoring wetlands, native vegetation has flourished, alongside a resurgence of wildlife like white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and even pumas (Puma concolor).

The páramo, an ecosystem found in the Andes, had been heavily impacted by the draining of wetlands and soil compaction caused by centuries of livestock grazing. As the sheep were removed, the landscape began to heal: plant life regained a foothold, water quality improved, and species once driven out by the degradation, such as deer and foxes, returned.

“This could serve as a case study for how food chains rebuild and slowly reshape the landscape,” said Evelyn Araujo, a biologist with the Andean Condor Foundation.

The conservation effort was funded through a model that ties water use to ecosystem preservation. FONAG, established in 2000, draws its funding from 2% of the revenue generated by Quito’s water utility, which is contributed by city residents. This funding supports conservation initiatives that safeguard Quito’s water supply by restoring and protecting vital water sources in the surrounding páramo and other key areas.

The restoration of the Antisana páramo has yielded benefits for both the environment and the city, writes Alvarado. Once thought to be beyond repair, the land has rebounded, with wetlands restored and a diverse range of species returning. However, the process has been far from simple. Livestock and feral animals had to be removed, and environmental restoration efforts included building small dams to raise the water table and reduce soil erosion.

The outcome has been notable. Species like the Andean condor (Vultur gryphus), which once relied on cattle carcasses for food, now feed on deer that have returned to the area. The project offers an example of how heavily degraded landscapes can recover through a mix of habitat management, community participation and sustained funding.

Read the full story by Ana Cristina Alvarado here.

Banner image: A puma in the highlands of the Antisana páramos. Image courtesy of Andean Condor Foundation.