Multitemporal Analysis as a Non-Invasive Technology Indicates a Rapid Change in Land Use in the Amazon: The Case of the ITT Oil Block

The Amazon Region of Ecuador (ARE) hosts a great variety of biodiversity and ecosystems. These hotspots are internationally recognized for presenting unique fauna and flora found nowhere else in the world. Within the ARE, there is the Yasuní National Park (YNP), a recognized Biosphere Reserve located in the sub-basins of various rivers. The study area is the “ITT Oil Block” (Ishpingo, Tambococha, and Tiputini), situated in the Province of Orellana and superimposed on the YNP. The block has an area of 179,449.53 ha. The main objective of the current study was to analyze the multi-temporality of land-use change in the ITT Oil Block of the ARE. In the methodological process, the PCI Geomatic and ARCGIS programs were used for the processing and classification of satellite images (Landsat 7 and 8). The changes in land use in the ITT Oil Block over the three periods (2001, 2014, and 2017) indicated that forest cover decreased by 24.23% in soils, while infrastructure and cultivation increased throughout the time period by 0.27% and 0.23%, respectively. The most significant land-use change rate in the ITT Oil Block in the period 2001–2017 are the categories of bare soil with 9.01% (10,640.82 ha) and cultivation with 7.27% (591.29 ha).

Analysing the Governance Structure of the Yasuni ITT Initiative: What are the potential governance challenges that the Yasuni ITT initiative faces and how are they likely to influence its overall success?

<p>Ecuador is a country with outstanding levels of biodiversity and unique indigenous people, but it is also a country that has relied heavily on the extraction of natural resources to fuel its economy. However, the oil fields lie within fragile natural areas where indigenous groups live. The pressure put on these areas has led to substantial damage in parts of the Amazon region and the extinction of some cultural groups. In light of this, the Yasuni ITT initiative has emerged as an opportunity to make a transition to a post-oil development model where the sustainable use of resources, including the promotion of clean energy sources, sits alongside the protection of natural areas and the respect of indigenous rights. In leaving 20% of its oil reserves underground, Ecuador expects to receive a compensation equivalent to 50% of the revenues that would otherwise result from the oil’s sale. However, the Initiative faces governance challenges that are explored in this study, using an “earth system governance” theoretical framework. This framework is based on sustainable development norms. This study focuses on five main structural problems present in the governance processes: the architecture of the system; agency; adaptiveness; accountability and legitimacy; and the allocation of and access to resources. The analysis of these challenges provides a picture of the barriers and opportunities for the Initiative to succeed. It is concluded that the continuity of the Initiative depends greatly on coherent and consistent governmental actions and the extent to which non-state actors and civil society can meaningfully participate in decisions taken around the exploitation of the Yasuni National Park.</p>

Analysing the Governance Structure of the Yasuni ITT Initiative: What are the potential governance challenges that the Yasuni ITT initiative faces and how are they likely to influence its overall success?

<p>Ecuador is a country with outstanding levels of biodiversity and unique indigenous people, but it is also a country that has relied heavily on the extraction of natural resources to fuel its economy. However, the oil fields lie within fragile natural areas where indigenous groups live. The pressure put on these areas has led to substantial damage in parts of the Amazon region and the extinction of some cultural groups. In light of this, the Yasuni ITT initiative has emerged as an opportunity to make a transition to a post-oil development model where the sustainable use of resources, including the promotion of clean energy sources, sits alongside the protection of natural areas and the respect of indigenous rights. In leaving 20% of its oil reserves underground, Ecuador expects to receive a compensation equivalent to 50% of the revenues that would otherwise result from the oil’s sale. However, the Initiative faces governance challenges that are explored in this study, using an “earth system governance” theoretical framework. This framework is based on sustainable development norms. This study focuses on five main structural problems present in the governance processes: the architecture of the system; agency; adaptiveness; accountability and legitimacy; and the allocation of and access to resources. The analysis of these challenges provides a picture of the barriers and opportunities for the Initiative to succeed. It is concluded that the continuity of the Initiative depends greatly on coherent and consistent governmental actions and the extent to which non-state actors and civil society can meaningfully participate in decisions taken around the exploitation of the Yasuni National Park.</p>

Use of mineral licks by mammals in areas of the Amazonia with no hunting pressure

Mineral licks are areas where several species of animals, including mammals, converge to consume water and soil as a mineral supplement. Certain mammal species are an important source of protein in the diet of indigenous communities. Many of these species are under hunting pressure and their populations have been seriously affected. The purpose of this study was to determine the species of large and medium-sized mammals that use three open mineral licks in the area of the Kichwa Añangu community, within the Yasuní National Park, where hunting used to take place. We calculate the capture frequency for the visiting species and the richness, composition, and similarity of the assemblages recorded in the mineral licks during two climatic seasons of the year (higher rainfall vs. lower rainfall). We installed a single camera trap station (CTS) at each mineral lick during three sampling periods in 2018. In each period, all cameras operated 24 hours a day for 30 to 40 days and were set to capture three photographs upon sensor activation, with 60-second intervals between consecutive activations. With a total sampling effort of 249 days/trap, we obtained 645 photographs and 398 grouped records of 16 species. We recorded 95.2 % of the expected richness according to the Chao1 estimator (S = 16.8). The species with the highest capture frequency were: Mazama zamora (FC = 62.2), Tayassu pecari (FC = 35.7), Tapirus terrestris (FC = 28.9), and Pecari tajacu (FC = 8.0). ECT-1 and ECT-2 captured 11 species each, and ECT-3 captured nine species. There were no significant differences in the species composition between the three mineral licks or between climatic seasons. Our results show that the focal mineral licks studied attract a rich mammalian fauna, which likely points to the success of the government regulation of wildlife trafficking and the application of sustainable tourism practices in the Añangu community.

Taxonomy of the major rhizomorphic species of the “Melanopus group” within Polyporaceae in Yasuní National Park, Ecuador

Yasuní National Park in Ecuador is one of the most biodiverse places on earth. The fungi in this tropical rainforest are also diverse but have received little research attention. This research paper focuses on an important group of fungi in the family Polyporaceae and examines the genera Polyporus, Atroporus, and Neodictyopus that form aerial melanized cord-like structures called rhizomorphs. Phylogenetic analyses, macro and micromorphological descriptions of basidiomata and rhizomorphs, as well as cultural characterization were completed to better understand these ecologically important fungi. Here we describe four new species: Atroporus yasuniensis, Atroporus tagaeri, Neodictyopus sylvaticus, and Polyporus taromenane, and a new variety Polyporus leprieurii var. yasuniensis. The information presented in this study adds important new knowledge about the unusual rhizomorph producing fungi found in Yasuní National Park, Ecuador and other tropical rainforests.

Species richness and ethnozoological annotations on mammals at the Boanamo indigenous community, Waorani territory, Orellana and Pastaza provinces, Ecuador

We present the results of a rapid ecological assessment conducted in 2012 in the community of Boanamo, in the Waorani Ethnic Reserve and Yasuní National Park, Orellana and Pastaza provinces, Ecuadorian Amazon. The study included surveys and observations of mammals by different methodologies over a 16-day sampling period. The results show the presence of 89 species of mammals, but there are several other mammal species expected in the area, increasing the projected diversity to 119 species, a high diverse community when compared with similar locations. Statistical analyses show that Boanamo is an area of high species richness and heterogeneity, consistent with comparable surveys in other areas of primary lowland rainforest in Amazonia. In addition, we documented nine distinct ways and 130 different usages in which 43 species are utilized in Boanamo. To estimate the importance of mammal diversity, we used a Cultural Importance Index, which shows that the species with the highest value are Panthera onca and Nasua nasua. However, the most frequently hunted species were Tayassu pecari and Lagothrix lagothricha. Our final conclusion is the community of Boanamo is entirely dependent on the surrounding forest, and mammals are an important part of their culture and subsistence.

DEATH OF A TAPIR ( Tapirus terrestris ) AND ITS CONSUMPTION BY SCAVENGERS IN YASUNÍ NATIONAL PARK, ECUADOR

We describe the death of a tapir (Tapirus terrestris) in a mineral lick, captured by a camera trap. We narrate the ante mortem event and the scavengers associated with the post mortem event. Six mammal species (Mazama zamora, Pecari tajacu, Dasyprocta fuliginosa, Cuniculus paca, Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris and Dasypus novemcinctus) and two species of birds (Ortalis guttata and Pipile cumanensis) were registered in the ante mortem event. Three species of scavenging birds (Coragyps atratus, Cathartes melambrotus and Sarcoramphus papa) and one species of reptile (Chelonoidis denticulatus) were registered in the post mortem event. The decomposition process of T. terrestris took 13 days from its death until the body completely disappeared.Key words: Descomposition, interactions, necrophages, neotropical mammals, photo-trapping.ResumenEn esta nota se describe la muerte de un tapir (Tapirus terrestris) captada por una cámara trampa en un saladero. En ella narramos el momento ante mortem y a los carroñeros asociados con el suceso post mortem. En el acontecimiento ante mortem se registraron seis especies de mamíferos (Mazama zamora, Pecari tajacu, Dasyprocta fuliginosa, Cuniculus paca, Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris and Dasypus novemcinctus) y dos especies de aves (Ortalis guttata, Pipile cumanensis). En el hecho post mortem se registraron tres especies de aves carroñeras (Coragyps atratus, Cathartes melambrotus and Sarcoramphus papa) y una especie de reptil (Chelonoidis denticulatus). El proceso de descomposición de T. terrestris tomó 13 días desde su muerte hasta que el cuerpo quedó totalmente desecho.Palabras clave: Descomposición, foto trampeo, interacciones, mamíferos neotropicales, necrófagos.

The carabids in the trees: rapid biodiversity assessment of an Ecuadorian rainforest

Accessing extreme environments historically unexplored by entomologists poses logistical financial and scientific challenges. Today, much of the world’s natural habitats are under threat, particularly in the Neotropics. Threats from human development, exploration and indeed climate change pose the necessity for rapid arthropod biodiversity discovery and documentation. This study forms part of a long-term ecological assessment of the effects of an oil company road on primary forest within the Yasuni National Park, Ecuador. In the past 40 years this study has generated thousands of carabid specimens from the rainforest canopy by employing insecticide fogging techniques. The latest study in October 2018 yielded &gt;260,000 Coleoptera specimens of which Carabidae contributed a diverse component. This complex diversity of the rainforest canopy limits our understanding of ecological and evolutionary patterns and processes on a global scale. Morphological taxonomy has laid the foundations for our interpretation of carabid species richness and diversity through time; however rapid species discovery is achievable by employing high through-put molecular sequencing methods. A high resolution macro imaging procedure is used to direct the sequencing protocol by isolating identifiable morphospecies from bulk samples. A dual approach of reference sequence and metabarcoding is employed. The reference sequences, being mitogenomes, allow for phylogenetics and the link to global carabid diversity, while the metabarcoding and species recognition against the reference set allows us to look at change through space (along the road) and time (since the first fogging event in 1994). With this technique we are able to better study the carabid community of the rainforest canopy, not only improving our knowledge of the hyper-diversity living in this habitat but also their place in evolutionary time. Currently 50 bulk samples have been imaged revealing, for example, an even greater diversity within the species rich genus Agra (Lebiinae), than previously recognized. This study forms a component of the SITE-100 project which is an ambitious effort towards documenting the species diversity and evolutionary history of insects on Earth for a global comparative analysis.

Factors Affecting Traditional Medicinal Plant Knowledge of the Waorani, Ecuador

This paper explores how medicinal plant knowledge of the Waorani (Ecuador) varies with socio-economic and demographic factors. Medicinal plant knowledge was compared at individual and community levels. Semi-structured interviews were performed with 56 informants (men N= 29, women N= 27) between 15 and 70 years old in five Waorani communities located within the Yasuní National Park and Waorani Ethnic Reserve. We found a positive correlation between an informant’s medicinal plant knowledge and age, and a negative correlation between informant’s medicinal plant knowledge and the years of schooling. Reasons behind these findings are thought to be in the rapid socio-cultural changes of the Waorani due to globalization processes. Increased accessibility to health centers and improved transportation infrastructure result in a loss of ethnobotanical knowledge.