The government announced on March 24 the launch of the national campaign “Tradition and Conservation Go Hand in Hand” at the Quito Botanical Garden. The initiative aims to encourage the use of alternative and recyclable materials for making bouquets, reducing illegal extraction of the wax palm, a key species in Andean ecosystems that is often affected during Holy Week.
The Ministry of Environment and Energy has led this effort for over 15 years, working with the Catholic Church and National Police to safeguard six species of wax palm from the Ceroxylon genus. Several of these species are listed as Vulnerable or Critically Endangered.
Officials said harvesting young leaves, known as cogollos, threatens not only the survival of these slow-growing palms—which can take more than 80 years to reproduce and live over two centuries—but also impacts wildlife dependent on them. The removal process often involves cutting down entire trees, further endangering their recovery.
Beyond its cultural significance, officials highlighted that the wax palm plays an essential role in Andean ecosystems. Its fruits serve as food for birds and mammals while its structure provides shelter for species such as the golden-plumed parakeet and yellow-eared parrot (Ognorhynchus icterotis), which is globally vulnerable and critically endangered in Ecuador. Loss of this forest species affects important functions like water regulation and mountain ecosystem stability.
The campaign encourages using sustainable materials—such as laurel, corn husk, straw, myrtle, totora reed, cypress, lemon verbena, bamboo, sigse grass and ornamental flowers—for bouquets to preserve tradition without harming biodiversity. Training sessions are being offered to artisans, vendors and local communities alongside environmental education strategies in schools and community spaces.
Legal regulations establish prison sentences ranging from one to three years for those involved in illegal extraction or trade of this protected species under Ecuador’s Comprehensive Organic Penal Code.
