NEW SITE :
Napo , Ecuador
In our ANDES TO AMAZON ECOLOGY PROGRAM in Ecuador , students will help monitor and evaluate threatened spectacled bear and mountain tapir populations in the Andean highlands . They will also visit a local school and hike with a local guide from the indigenious Kichwa culture . Expanding from the Galapagos to mainland Ecuador builds upon our already strong relationship with Ecuador ’ s national park system . Our existing connections , staff , and support structures mean that our students will quickly become part of significant conservation impacts in the region .
PRIMARY RESEARCH PARTNER :
Andean Bear Foundation
SPECIES PROTECTED :
Andean ( spectacled ) bears Mountain tapirs
PROJECT LOCATION :
Cayambe-Coca Ecological Reserve
STUDENT ACTIVITIES :
• Remote camera set-up , use , and photo collection
• Data collection to estimate range sizes & habitat use
• Cloud forest and sub-alpine grassland hikes
• Cultural excursions to learn about medicinal plants and traditional livelihoods
CONSERVATION STATUS : Vulnerable ; fewer than 3,000 left in the wild
Name comes from the whitish / yellowish rings that encircle their eyes
SPECTACLED BEAR
Tremarctos ornatus
South America ’ s ONLY bear species
THREATS : Destruction and fragmentation of habitat , hunting
CONSERVATION STATUS : Endangered ; fewer than 2,500 left in the wild
Important seed dispersers that communicate using high-pitched whistles
KEYSTONE species of the high Andes and the smallest surviving species of tapir
THREATS : Habitat loss , illegal hunting
MOUNTAIN TAPIR
Tapirus pinchaque
ECOLOGY PROJECT INTERNATIONAL • WWW . ECOLOGYPROJECT . ORG • 406.721.8784