SECRETS OF THE ECUADORIAN AMAZON
Naomi McKee
When Senderos recently started working with Anakonda Amazon Cruises, we had long and fascinating conversations with founder and owner Raul Garcia, who has over 40 years of experience navigating the rivers of the Ecuadorian Amazon. He shared some incredible facts about the Ecuadorian Amazon that was news to even us!
We found the scientific knowledge he had accumulated over years of river cruising in this region so interesting and hope you do too….
Biodiversity and the Ice Age
The freeze and melt of the Ice Age is the reason why today Yasuni National Park is one of the world’s super biodiversity hotspots. Designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reservein 1989, the total area covers 6,820 canopied square kilometres. Within this area of the Amazon over 650 species of tree can be found within a single hectare of forest land; there are more than 130 globally-threatened species of animals including giant armadillos, golden-mantled tamarins and white-bellied spider monkeys. Yasuni has huge numbers of bats and reptiles and you can find more insect species than in any other forest on earth, and a greater number of frog and toad species than in all of North America. And we’ve not started on the thousands of species of plants. So how is this warm, tropical paradise linked to the chilly Ice Age? The high ground of Yasuni NP meant that it remained above the waterline even during icy & flooded times, becoming a refuge for animals and plants who were driven on to little land islands to escape the flood water. Isolated species equal… evolution! And it happened here in Yasuni long before Charles Darwin published his theory. For example, nine different types of toucan live in Yasuni and each once evolved unique markings & colours on their own rainforest ‘island’.
Ramsar Sites
Ramsar Sites are wetlands of international importance that containing representative, rare or unique wetland types or for their importance in conserving biological diversity. Ecuador currently has 19 Ramsar sites with a surface area covering 1,064,483 hectares. The most recently designated and largest of these is the Cuyubeno Lagartococha Yasuni Wetland Complex – an area of the Ecuadorian Amazon visited by Anakonda Amazon Cruise ships on their itineraries along the Coca river. The importanceos this particular Ramsar site is due to its role as a wildlife corridor connecting Cuyubeno and Yasuni National Parks. Around 1,500 species of plants, 600 species of birds and 167 species of mammals are found in the 70,000-hectare site. Among thousands of species of plants, trees and mammals, particularly noteworthy is the presence of threatened aquatic mammals such as the Amazonian manatee, giant otters and river dolphins. Communities belonging to six of Ecuador’s indigenous nations (Cofán, Kichwa, Huaorani, Shuar, Secoyas and Sionas) depend directly on the natural resources of the Site. It supplies fresh water and is important for activities such as tourism and fishing. The main threats to this Ramsar site are the exploration and drilling of oil and natural gas, hunting and fishing, the presence of invasive species, and changes in land use.
Find out more about the two Anakonda Amazon Cruise ships Manatee and Anakonda, their varied itineraries, community and conservation work in the Ecuadorian Amazon here on the Senderos partner page.
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