A student-driven research partnership for building neotropical conservation capacity, centered on the Podocarpus region of Southern Ecuador

Abstract:

Ecuador is one of the world’s megabiodiverse countries, with a dynamic culture rooted in a vibrant range of indigenous communities. As with many neotropical countries, Ecuador’s natural and human heritage is threatened by processes ranging from land conversion to climate change. These threats are exacerbated by a lack of basic data about many systems and taxa within Ecuador, coupled with limited in-country research capacity. Although the Ecuadorian government is working proactively to rectify this deficiency, partnerships with international collaborators will be key, especially in the short term. We describe success and challenges related to a National Science Foundation funded partnership between the University of Idaho (UI) and the Universidad Tecnica Particular de Loja (UTPL), dedicated to building conservation research and educational capacity at both institutions, but focused on UTPL’s evolution towards international status as a center for research in conservation biology. Regionally, the collaboration is focused on promoting conservation through partnerships with regional indigenous groups (the Shuar and Saraguro, as two examples), with a particular focus on threats to ecosystem integrity within the páramo, a high altitude, shrub-steppe community with a complex hydrology, increasing human encroachment, and high levels of threat from climate change.

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