Centinela
Western Andes, Ecuador
Type of Proposed Protection:
Private reserve
Conservation Partners:
Jocotoco, Re:wild
Ecoregion:
Northwest Andean Montane forests
Scale of the Proposed Protected Area:
150 hectares - 371 acres
Total Declaration Cost, including protected area management and trail support:
$153,659
Morning fog over the Centinela, Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas province, Western Ecuador.
Home to these rare and threatened species:
Annona conica (Endangered)
Browneopsis macrofoliolata (Known only from Centinela; Critically Endangered)
Carapa megistocarpa (Endangered)
Cremastosperma stenophyllum (Endangered)
Daphnopsis grandis (Endangered)
Dracontiuum croatii (Endangered)
Drymonia laciniosa (Endangered)
Eschweilera podoaquilae (Endangered)
Gasteranthus extinctus (Critically Endangered)
Gasteranthus otogensis (Vulnerable)
Geissanthus fallenae (Endangered)
Genoma tenuissima (CR → Endangered)
Gustavia dodsonii (Endangered)
Matisia coloradorum (Endangered)
Matisia palenquiana (Endangered)
Quararibea calycoptera (Endangered)
Randia carlosiana (Endangered)
Sciodaphyllum pilarense (New species known only from Centinela; provisionally Endangered)
Swartzia decidua (Endangered)
Historic Communites:
Local Ecuadorian communities
About the local conservation partner:
Jocotoco is an Ecuadorian non-profit foundation. It currently manages ~100,000 acres in 17 bioreserves throughout Ecuador. They averted the extinction of the once critically endangered species the Pale - headed Brushfinch, which had an extinction probability of 89%. Similarly, they brought two critically endangered trees species back from the brink of extinction, increasing their populations more than tenfold within three years.
Jocotoco restored forests by planting 1.7 million trees of 140 native species. Within just one human generation (25 years), wildlife returned to these once desolated places in a diversity that matches that seen in old-growth rainforest. This quick recovery demonstrates that we can fully and quickly restore even the arguably most complex ecosystem on Earth. Because of this recovery, apex predators such as Jaguars, Pumas, Spectacled Bears, and Harpy Eagles have returned to areas where they were previously hunted out. The only viable population of Jaguars in Western Ecuador is now found in Jocotoco’s largest reserve.
Grant Research, Care and Diligence Team:
Dr. Martin Schaefer, Jocotoco; Dr. Chris Jordan, Re:wild: Dr. Andy Lee, Resolve: Dr. Haley Mellin, Conserve
Conservation Imperatives Site:
Yes
Ecological History
The Northwestern Andean montane forests ecoregion extends along the Cordillera Occidental (Western Range) of the Andes in Colombia and the Cordillera Occidental of Ecuador. It covers an area of 8,132,562 hectares (20,096,000 acres). In the extreme north the ecoregion merges into the Magdalena–Urabá moist forests ecoregion. Through most of its length in Colombia it transitions on the west into the Chocó–Darién moist forests and on the east into the Cauca Valley montane forests. The higher levels of the ecoregion give way to Northern Andean páramo. It almost completely surrounds the Patía Valley dry forests. In its southern section the ecoregion transitions into the Western Ecuador moist forests to the west and the Eastern Cordillera Real montane forests to the east. The southern end of the ecoregion transitions into the Tumbes–Piura dry forests ecoregion.
The ecoregion is in the neotropical realm, in the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome. It is part of the Northern Andean Montane Forests global ecoregion. This ecoregion contains the Magdalena Valley montane forests, Venezuelan Andes montane forests, Northwestern Andean montane forests, Cauca Valley montane forests, Cordillera Oriental montane forests, Santa Marta montane forests, and Eastern Cordillera Real montane forests terrestrial ecoregions. The cooling during glacial periods isolated plants and animals adapted to warmer climates into isolated pockets, while the cooler zones expanded and became connected. During the warmer inter-glacial periods the warmer zones rose higher and reconnected, while the cooler zones became isolated. The result was steady formation of new species, creating high levels both of diversity and endemism.
The Spiti River above Kaza, Lahaul and Spiti Dist, Himachal, India. The river bed is several hundred metres wide. The river itself is much narrower and meanders along the river bed. The elevation in this photography is 3,600 meters (11,811'). Photograph by Timothy A. Gonsalves.
Precipitation, Temperatures and Glaciers
The Miyar Valley is a remote and scenic valley located in the Western Himalayas. It is a part of the Lahaul Range, located between Pir Panjal and Zanskar Range. The valley is nearly 75 kilometers long and stretches between Udaipur (2649 m) and Kang La Pass (5468 m). More than 50% (568 km2) of area of the Miyar Valley is covered in glaciers. Kang La at the head of Miyar Valley is one of the extreme points of India. Administratively, the valley belongs to the district of Lahaul and Spiti (Himachal Pradesh). Temperatures and precipitation in the Miyar Valley vary widely. The annual average values are respectively: at the mouth of the valley – Udaipur (2649 m) 9.4 °C and 1057 mm; in its middle part – Sucto village (3448 m) 5 °C and 605 mm; and in higher parts (alpine and nival level) average annual temperature always stays below 0 °C.
According to Saini the soil cover of the Miyar Valley can be classified into three types: Himalayan Alluvial Soils (Group B), Mountain and Hill Soils, High Altitude Meadow Soil. The valley is inhabited by Tharanga people which are influenced by Tibetan Buddhism. Only a few hundred people live concentrated in 16 villages – among others, in Urgos (226), Tingrat (171), Ghumpa (45) Khanjar (48) and Sucto (37) – excluding Udayapur.
Inhabitants are engaged in mainly farming and pasturing. Due to the belief and influence of Tibetan Buddhism, the population is largely vegetarian and lacto-vegetarian. The economy of the valley is dominated by extensive farming. A short growing season (May–September) and low-quality soil limit agricultural production. Among the main food crops are peas, barley, buckwheat, seed potato. Kuth (Saussurea lappa) and mannu (Inula racemosa) are grown for medicinal use. Agriculture is accompanied by typical pastoral breeding (sheep, goats) and cattle breeding (cows, horses, donkeys). Miyar Valley is attractive to explorers and mountaineers for being one of the few remaining "white spaces" on the map. In 2012 Michal Apollo, Phil Varley and Marek Zoladek made the first summit of an unclimbed mountain, naming it Forgotten Peak.
The Spiti River above Kaza, Lahaul and Spiti Dist, Himachal, India. The river bed is several hundred metres wide. The river itself is much narrower and meanders along the river bed. The elevation in this photography is 3,600 meters (11,811'). Photograph by Timothy A. Gonsalves.