Sightings of Threatened wildlife on new reserve in Ecuador

Press Release dated: Tuesday, February 18, 2003

At the end of 2002 the World Land Trust provided the funds for its local partner in Ecuador, the Fundación Jocotoco, to buy a new corridor reserve adjacent to CERRO Tapichalaca, in the Amazon watershed of the Andes.

The first scientist to explore the more remote parts of the reserve, Dr Niels Krabbe (co-author of "The Birds of the High Andes"), has just reported some exciting finds. On his return from exploring the mountain he sent an email which told us:

"We had a fine trip to the paramo. It took three days to cut the trail. The first two days were sunny, the rest of the time it rained and was foggy. There was a pair of tapirs with a young right next to the second camp. I got there in time to see the grass move after they had entered a thicket! In the paramo a spectacled bear had been eating puyas [ a giant lobelia, found only at very high altitudes], and the remnants were so fresh that we would have seen it had it not been so foggy. We saw some nice birds, including Masked Saltator, Greater Scythebill, Solitary Eagle, also had an unexpected Swallow-tailed Kite at 2900 m. and we saw most of the high elevation species: Imperial Snipe (six roding [displaying] around 2nd camp every evening and morning), Neblina Metaltail, Masked Mountain-tanager, Grass Wren, Many-striped Canastero, Andean Hillstar, Glossy Flowerpiercer, Rainbow bearded Thornbill, Andean Snipe, White-throated Screech-owl, Band-winged Nightjar, Great Sapphirewing, Slate-crowned Antpitta, Tawny Antpitta, Paramo Tapaculo, White-throated Tyrannulet, Brown-backed Chat-tyrant, Brown-bellied Swallow."

Dr Nigel Simpson a Trustee of the World Land Trust and Fundación Jocotoco organised both this land purchase and the first, commented:

"Our hopes have been fulfilled in that four endangered or near-threatened bird species which are new to the reserve, but were hoped to be present on the edge of the paramo, are now confirmed. These are Masked Mountain-Tanager (globally vulnerable), Neblina Metaltail (a high altitude hummingbird), Greater Scythebill (all near-threatened), - and to have six Imperial Snipe displaying over his tent must have been spectacular (this is another near-threatened species which is known from our Yanacocha reserve). The Andean Hillstar sighting is a significant northerly range expansion. Solitary Eagle is very special (very occasionally seen in the past at Buenaventura).

And all of course additional to the Jocotoco Antpittas which we knew were there. This brings to ten the total of Red Data Book bird species now confirmed on the expanded reserve.

Some of the Puyas could be endangered- Niels found one eaten by Spectacled Bear (one endangered species eating another?!) and together with the Mountain Tapirs with young this is a spectacular start. We may be able to begin high altitude botanical surveys in March"

The WLT and the Fundación Jocotoco are working together to acquire a network of reserves targeted at endangered species. These observations confirm the importance of this approach, and another reserve is to be purchased in the very near future, with funds donated by the Rainforest Cafe in London.

For further information as to how your donation can help acquire more reserves visit the World Land Trust web site: www.worldlandtrust.org/projects/.

 
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