BIODIVERSITY OF THE SHIWIAR TERRITORY
Introduction / Did you know... / Threats / Conservation strategies
INTRODUCTION
The Shiwiar territory is one of the best preserved and more bio-diverse areas in the whole world. It shelters a great portion of the remaining Ecuadorian Amazon forests, and its conservation is very important for the Shiwiar, as all of them depend directly on the natural resources of these forests for their survival.
Ecologically, the Shiwiar territory belongs to the Napo eco-region, dominated by the Lowlands Evergreen Forests complex. These forests are tall, with their canopy 30 meters high or more and a very high bio-diversity.
In the year 2007 a preliminary study was carried out in this territory in order to get a first diagnosis of the flora and fauna of the area. This study is part of the project "Conservation of biodiversity in the indigenous territories of the lower Pastaza River basin", carried out by the EcoCiencia Foundation and CESLA (Center of Environmental Studies in Latin America). The gathered information is not definitive yet, and it is very likely that the number of species catalogued in this area would be higher if new studies were made in other sites of this territory as well as in different times of the year. The data presented here come mainly from this preliminary study.
DID YOU KNOW…
- There are more than 16,000 species of vascular plants in Ecuador, and 30% of them are in the Amazon region. Even more impressive is the fact that every year new species are discovered within this territory.
- The number of tree species registered in this preliminary study is very high, 379 species from 178 different genera and 55 different families.
- The most abundant plant familias in this territory are: Arecaceae, Fabaceae, Myristicaceae, Lecythidaceae and Moraceae.
Moriche palm (Mauritia flexuosa)
Photo: Diego Reyes-Jurado
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- In the Shiwiar territory lives at least one endemic plant species, and its conservation status according to the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is Near Threatened (NT). This species, belonging to the family Rubiaceae, is called kuchar numi (Alseis lugonis) by the Shiwiar.
- In the areas occupied by mature forest in the Shiwiar territory, the number of species per hectare is similar to that found in the Yasuni National Park (YNP), in the northern Amazon of Ecuador. The YNP is considered as one of the most bio-diverse places in the world, and in it, one can find 200 – 240 tree species per hectare. This fact gives an idea of the great conservation status of the Shiwiar territory and justifies the priority to keep preserving it.
- In Ecuador live 10% and 6% of all the species of amphibians and reptiles of the world respectively. This country is the one with the highest levels of diversity on number of amphibians and reptiles species per area unit.
- In the Ecuadorian Amazon tropical forests live 157 amphibian species and 166 species of reptiles, that is, 37% of all the Ecuadorian species of amphibians and reptiles.
- Inside the Shiwiar territory live at least 133 species of amphibians and reptiles (81 amphibian species and 52 reptile species). They all belong to 65 genera, 28 families and 5 orders. This means that this territory shelters at least 48% of all the species of amphibians and reptiles of the Ecuadorian Amazon.
- In the preliminary study mentioned above, three species of frog of the families Hylidae and Brachycephalidae were found for the first time in Ecuaor. These species are Pristimantis delius, Pristimantis luscombei and Dendropsophus leali. Also for the first time, frogs of the genus Adelophryne were found within Ecuadorian boundaries.
- There are at least two endemic species living within the Shiwiar territory. These are the frogs Cochranella amelie and Kakash (Osteocephalus fuscifacies).
Cochranella amelie
Photo: H. Mauricio Ortega-Andrade |
Kakash (Osteocephalus fuscifacies)
Photo: H. Mauricio Ortega-Andrade |
- At least 10 of all the species of amphibians and reptiles livin in this teritory are included in the category Near Threatened (NT) according to the IUCN, five are considered Vulnerable (VU) and one species (Eunectes murinus murinus) is classified as Endangered (EN). In addition, a total of 16 species are Data Deficient (DD) or have not been evaluated yet.
- Amphibians and reptiles are very sensible to water, soil and atmospheric changes or disturbances. For this reason these organisms are used as indicators of environmental changes. The fact that in the Shiwiar territory the composition and structure of these species are so complex indicates very high levels of environmental quality.
Ranitomeya duellmani
Photo: H. Mauricio Ortega-Andrade
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- In South America lives more than one third of the species of birds in the world.
- In Ecuador live 1,616 species of birds. That is more than half of the bird species of South America and more than one sixth of all the bird species in the world.
- 50% of all the bird species in Ecuador are found in the Amazon region.
- The Shiwiar territory shelters at least 293 species of birds. They all belong to 15 orders and 142 families.
Golden-headed manakin (Pipra erythrocephala)
Photo: Danny Guarderas
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Blue-crowned manakin (Lepidothrix coronata)
Photo: Danny Guarderas |
- The most abundant families in the Shiwiar territory are Thamnophilidae, Tyrannidae, Thraupidae and Psittacidae. 38% of all the species of this territory are included in these families.
- According to the IUCN, at least five species of bird in this territory are Vulnerable (VU), the harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) and the red macaw (Ara chloroptera) among them. Three more species are under the category of Near Threatened (NT) and eight species are classified as Least Concern (LC).
- Within the Shiwiar territory live at least 17 species considered rare. Some of them are gray-headed kite (Leptodon cayanensis), gray-brested sabrewing (Campylopterus largipennis), long–tailed tyrant (Colonia colonus), blue dacnis (Dacnis cayana), white-bellied dacnis (Dacnis albiventris), banded antbird (Dichrozona cincta), plumbeous kite (Ictinia plumbea) and white hawk (Leucopternis albicollis).
- A great quantity of groups formed by different species of Psitacids can be found within this territory. This is very important, as these species are considered to be Biological Indicators, which means, the more abundant they are in a place, the better quality of that environment is.
Gray-headed tanager (Eucometis penicillata)
Photo: Danny Guarderas
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- The places located in the eastern part of the provinces Pastaza and Morona Santiago, as well as the areas of the Pastaza and Corrientes Rivers (the Shiwiar territory among them) have been considered as a priority for the conservation of mammal species. This is due to their high levels of bio-diversity, the existence of rare and/or endangered habitats and the presence of endangered species at a global or regional scale.
Jaguar (Panthera onca)
Photo: Miguel de la Iglesia
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Squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus)
Photo: Miguel de la Iglesia |
THREATS
There are currently very strong threats and human pressure over the natural resources within this territory.
The population growth leads to more pressure over the natural resources. Due to this, some species are endangered simply because of their overexploitation by the Shiwiar. In fact according to the studies carried out in this territory, the number of animal and plant species is clearly lower closer to the most populated communities.
If production grows high, the transformation of the forest for agriculture and farming purposes will very likely affect the presence of wild fauna in the area. The introduction of cattle can be a problem in a short / medium term for the survival of the wild animals, due to the perturbation of their habitats.
Deforestation is also a threat for this territory. The selective cut of trees in the forest surrounding the indigenous communities, although apparently low in intensity, is reducing the populations of some tree species. The native Amazonian lowland forests shelter singular communities of amphibians and reptiles, and most of them would not survive to a change in the structure and stratification of the forest, even though they are small.
Over-hunting can reduce the populations of big and medium size mammals, it can even provoke the local extinction of animals such as primates, perissodactyls and artiodactyls. Some species of birds, such as tinamous, piping-guans and curassows, parrots, tucans and macaws can be very affected, even to the point of local extinction.
The traffic of species, alive animals or parts of them, is a growing problem in this territory.
Last, but not least, the threat of the mining and oil companies going into this territory is closer every year. The entry of these companies to indigenous territories usually brings with it the construction of roads, the disordered colonization and contamination that affects both, animals and human beings.
CONSERVATION STRATEGIES
In order to control the environmental situation within their territory, the Shiwiar people are working together with several national and foreign organizations developing several projects for the conservation and sustainable management of the area.
One of the purposes of these projects is the elaboration of maps showing a detailed zonification of the Shiwiar territory, by proposing areas for conservation and areas for human use.
NASHIE, in collaboration with other organizations, is developing the Management Plan of the Shiwiar territory. When this plan is finished, the Shiwiar will have a better idea of what is the situation of their territory and will be able to make more efficient decisions on what to do and where.
Ecotourism grows a great interest among the Shiwiar and it is a good sustainable alternative of management. This is the reason why NASHIE, in collaboration with other orgnizations is developing an ecoturism project inside the Shiwiar territory in order to encourage conservation and communal management.
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