Noticias Recientes
Una rana que se creía extinta asomó en páramos de Sígsig
Septiembre 2015
NCI realiza acciones de conservación en dicha área... |
Según una nota del 02 de septiembre de 2015 publicada en la Web del diario cuencano El Mercurio, tres individuos de la rana jambato (Atelopus bomolochos), supuestamente extinta hace 25 años, fueron identificados como tales, en mayo de este año, por los biólogos Ernesto Arbeláez, director del Centro de Conservación de Anfibios Amenazados del Zoológico Amaru (Cuenca), y Luis Coloma, especialista del Centro Jambatu (Quito).
 |
Los colores de la Atelopus bomolochos van desde el naranja (parte inferior) hasta el verde oliva (superior). |
Las ranas fueron encontradas en Cerro Negro, que es parte del Bosque Protector Moya Molón, ubicado en los páramos del cantón Sígsig (área del corredor Sangay – Podocarpus), páramos que Naturaleza y Cultura ayuda a conservar, ya que albergan fauna ya desaparecida en otras partes del país e importantes fuentes de agua. De hecho, se espera que hasta fines de 2015 Sígsig y otros cantones entren al Fondo del Agua para la Conservación de la Cuenca del Río Paute (FONAPA), que ha recibido apoyo financiero de Naturaleza y Cultura.
Este hallazgo generó otra nota, publicada el 31 de agosto de 2015 en la Web de National Geographic, escrita por Jennifer Holland, según la cual varios fueron los grupos que participaron en este redescubrimiento (entre ellos, Tropical Herping, el ya citado Amaru Zoo y la Universidad Indoamericana), mientras que el avistamiento inicial fue reportado por técnicos del Ministerio del Ambiente de Ecuador (MAE) y la Universidad del Azuay.
Holland sostiene que los anfibios hallados no mostraban señales de quítrido, hongo mortal que ha atacado duramente a esta especie, y que, combinado con otros factores, la ha llevado hasta la casi extinción. Pero la ausencia de ese hongo tampoco garantiza la supervivencia de la rana jambato, puesto que, para empezar, no se sabe mucho sobre su biología, excepto que su reproducción no es rápida.
De acuerdo a Juan Guayasamín, director del Centro de Investigación de la Biodiversidad y Cambio Climático de la Universidad Indoamericana, citado por Holland, la reproducción de esta rana, que ocurre en arroyos, y para la cual la hembra soporta al macho sobre su espalda, puede durar más de un mes, tiempo en el cual el macho no come. Holland añade que la destrucción del hábitat sigue siendo la mayor amenaza de las especies Atelopus y otros anfibios de Centro y Sudamérica.
Para el biólogo Fabián Rodas, coordinador del Programa Austro de Naturaleza y Cultura, la ausencia de truchas (peces no nativos) en el riachuelo que hay en el lugar del hallazgo, debido a barreras naturales, puede ser la causa de la supervivencia de esta rana, que depende de los cursos de agua para poner sus huevos.
Rodas agrega que este redescubrimiento podría determinar un nuevo enfoque en el manejo de las áreas de conservación para esta especie, ya que las truchas tendrían un impacto más fuerte que el cambio climático, la alteración del hábitat y la quitridiomicosis (hongos), causantes de la desaparición de varias especies de anfibios en el mundo.
Regresa a las noticias recientes
February 2009 |
Baskets
for Better Lives Women
in the remote Peruvian Amazon village of San Antonio de Pintuyacu
are weaving hundreds of beautiful baskets from the fibers
of the Chambira palm tree, which are now being sold at the
San Diego Zoo and San Diego Natural History Museum. |
February 2009 |
Solana
Beach to Protect Tropical Forest NCI
and the city of Solana Beach, California have joined forces
to preserve areas of tropical forest in Southern Ecuador that
have been prioritized for conservation by the Ministry of
Environment, and also protect watersheds important to local
municipalities. |
February 2009 |
Protecting
Threatened Coastal Areas NCI
is promoting the establishment of several coastal-marine conservation
areas in the Piura region covering an area of over 173,000
acres in asscociation with the regional government and with
funding support from the KfW Bankengruppe of Germany. The
area is home to the largest populations of waterfowl on the
Peruvian coast, an exceptionally high diversity of marine
life, and threatened or endangered species such as the Humboldt
penguin and green sea turtles. |
February 2009 |
German
Ambassador Visits NCI This
February, Christian Berger, the German Ambassador to Ecuador,
visited NCI’s San Francisco Scientific Station in southern
Ecuador to learn about some of the cutting-edge projects taking
place in this extremely biodiverse tropical mountain forest
ecosystem. |
January 2009 |
NCI
Among the Best NCI
is delighted to announce that we have been approved as one
of the “Best In America” charities by Independent
Charities of America. |
December 2008 |
New
2.4 Million Acre Regional Conservation Area Created in the
Peruvian Amazon Through
the support of NCI, the Regional Government of Loreto, Peru
approved a 2.4 million acre regional conservation area that
will protect drinking water sources for the city of Iquitos
while also conserving Amazon rainforest with some of the highest
biological diversity in the world. |
December 2008 |
NCI's
Watershed Protection Program a Continued Success
NCI successfully purchased several
new areas critical to the protection of southern Ecuador's
watersheds, and we continue to influence local municipalities
and student groups through education campaigns. |
November 2008 |
Bi-national
Science & Technology Fair Showcases Projects from Ecuador
and Peru
NCI's environmental
education department successfully organized the 7th Bi-national
Science & Technology Fair, which showcased scientific
and environmental research projects relevant to the region. |
October 2008 |
Wax
Palm Mountain Forest Conservation in Amazonas Region
NCI staff members are diligently
working to gain protected area status for the 150,000 acre
Wax Palm-Huamanpata Mountain Tropical Forest in Amazonas,
Peru, and funds received from a private donor will be used
to aid in the conservation of the area. |
October 2008 |
Palo
Santo Project Receives Certification of Ecological Operation
NCI's Palo Santo project
that harvests the fruit of the Palo Santo tree to produce
an internationally-marketed perfume, received a certification
of ecological operation through the certifying company Ecocert. |
September 2008 |
NCI
Continues Conservation Efforts in the Dry Forests of Mexico
An 800 acre purchase, watershed
management programs, education, publicity and research activities
are being carried out in the dry forests of mexico in an effort
to futher preserve these threatened areas. |
September 2008 |
Conservation
of a Key Piece of Dry Forest in Zapotillo Through
the purchase of a 2,000 acre property in the Cazaderos sector
of Ecuador, NCI will initiate conservation activities in the
most pristine dry forest of Ecuador. |
August 2008 |
NCI
Transfers Management of Loja Watershed to Municipality
NCI turned over the management
responsibilities to the municipality of two of its properties
located in Loja's El Carmen watershed. The municipality will
develop a number of conservation, reforestation, protection
and education programs within the area. |
July 2008 |
Indigenous
Shuar Communities Legally Recognized Thanks
to the support of NCI, 37,500 acres of Shuar territory were
declared Protected Forest by the Ministry of the Environment.
Nine Shuar indigenous communities were also given legal recognition
by the State, guaranteeing them a series of rights, benefits,
and protection, and helping to conserve nearly 40,000 additional
acres of their territory. |
|
|