In Ecuador, the Andean highlands ecosystems, also known as páramos, are essential for producing water for human consumption and irrigation. Some páramos in the country are managed by indigenous communities that have contributed to their conservation through principles of reciprocity, territory and culture. However, these community-led initiatives are often marginalized by techno-scientific discourses and visions of water as promoted by public authorities as well as international experts working on these issues. Faced with these limitations, local water justice movements advocate for a more politicized approach that aims to shed light on the unequal distribution of benefits, access and control over water, as well as the tensions surrounding water rights, knowledge and cultural practices. This article draws on a case study in the communities of Cangahua, located in the northern highlands...

In Ecuador, the Andean highlands ecosystems, also known as páramos, are essential for producing water for human consumption and irrigation. Some páramos in the country are managed by indigenous communities that have contributed to their conservation through principles of reciprocity, territory and culture. However, these community-led initiatives are often marginalized by techno-scientific discourses and visions of water as promoted by public authorities as well as international experts working on these issues. Faced with these limitations, local water justice movements advocate for a more politicized approach that aims to shed light on the unequal distribution of benefits, access and control over water, as well as the tensions surrounding water rights, knowledge and cultural practices. This article draws on a case study in the communities of Cangahua, located in the northern highlands...

In Ecuador, the Andean highlands ecosystems, also known as páramos, are essential for producing water for human consumption and irrigation. Some páramos in the country are managed by indigenous communities that have contributed to their conservation through principles of reciprocity, territory and culture. However, these community-led initiatives are often marginalized by techno-scientific discourses and visions of water as promoted by public authorities as well as international experts working on these issues. Faced with these limitations, local water justice movements advocate for a more politicized approach that aims to shed light on the unequal distribution of benefits, access and control over water, as well as the tensions surrounding water rights, knowledge and cultural practices. This article draws on a case study in the communities of Cangahua, located in the northern highlands...

On a global scale, international experts produce knowledge about ecosystem services, often associated with techno-scientific visions of water resources. At the local level, these visions often compete with demands for water justice and local or traditional knowledge, defended by grassroots movements. This analysis is based on a case study in the Cayambe region, in the northern highlands of Ecuador, where the Confederation of the Kayambi People proposed in 2018 the creation of the Plurinational Water Fund. The study proposes a transdisciplinary approach combining qualitative and quantitative methods, including semi-structured interviews, surveys, focus groups, and water quality measurements. One of the main results of the study shows the complexity of the interactions and resistance in the co-production of water services between indigenous communities, local and municipal governments, the...