Peatlands store about a third of all the soil carbon in the planet, representing one of the largest contributors to the mitigation of current climate change. Peatlands also contribute disproportionately to water regulation, biodiversity conservation, and local livelihoods. But, despite their ecological and socioeconomic importance, peatlands are also being transformed by human activities at rates that surpass those of other ecosystems. High-elevation Mountain peatlands are especially sensitive to the impacts of climate change and human activity because of their small size, restricted distribution, and the fast rates of environmental change in mountain landscapes. In this context, peatland restoration is emerging as a critical tool to restitute ecosystem services and, hopefully, provide alternatives for local people. This is especially important in bioregions like the páramo of the northern Andes, where marginalized communities are often forced to drain and transform peatlands in order to sustain their livelihood. Here we summarize the results of a five-year restoration project of a páramo peatland in northern Ecuador that had been converted into pasture for over 200 years. The restoration of the 21-ha Chakana peatland (3600 m) started in December 2017, and consisted of a systematic effort to block roughly 8.8 km of ditches that had been carved in order to drain the peat. The ditches were plugged with a combination of barriers made out of wood for the larger channels, and/or of hay bales for the smaller channels. The restoration has had clear ecosystem-scale results evidenced in i) a rapid recovery and stabilization off the water table levels, ii) a proliferation of wetland plant species replacing introduced pastures, and iii) an increase in total carbon storage. Lessons learned through this pilot study are being applied to replicate the experience with local communities involved in integrated páramo conservation projects.