Toisan project

Orfa Rodriguez

Based on the slopes of the Cordillera del Toisán within the buffer zone of the Cotacachi-Cayapas reserve, this project involves Ecuadorian students and local residents. The study will span both seasons, comparatively assessing floristic composition, bird diversity and threatened species status (e.g Giant antpitta - Grallaria gigantea and Yellow-eared Parrot - Orgnorhynchus icterotis) between the primary and secondary forests of this hitherto undocumented region of the ‘Chocó’. The team aims to use their time in the community of Junin to complement and strengthen environmental education activities already begun by DECOIN (Defensa y Conservación Ecológia de Intag) and the Zoobreviven foundation for conservation and sustainable development. The goal is to gain the support of the local people and advocate the inclusion of the zone into the Cotacachi-Cayapas reserve thus preventing the imminent threat of exploitation for copper ore.