Biologists study threatened birds in Ecuador

From north to south, from west to east, region by region, species by species; all for the love of birds.

This motivates a group of researchers and biologists who meet in the classrooms of the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Azuay to analyze the conservation status of birds in Ecuador.

Researchers have been in the project for about a year (these days they held the fourth and penultimate workshop) which aims to publish the final list of threatened species in the country.

Boris Tinoco, professor and researcher at the University of Azuay in the area of ​​Biology, said that the list is based on criteria evaluated worldwide by the scientific community, in order to make a document based on all established guidelines.

The mission is to update the Red Book of birds in Ecuador, published for the last time in the year 2002.

Created at 1963 on the initiative of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the publication of the "Red Books" was an essential record to study endangered species and based on this information encourage State policies to reverse the most critical situations.

In Ecuador there are more 1.600 bird species, 250 species were at risk according to the 2002 publication but biologist Juan Freile believes that the number could have increased.

The UDA biologist indicates that some of the causes of this increase are deforestation, overfishing - which includes accidental catches in fishing nets of seabirds such as albatrosses -, hunting and illegal trafficking, among others.

With respect to the illegal trafficking of species, a problem that is currently being discussed in the country is the lack of a quantitative record of the magnitude of the damage caused by this practice.

Freile also believes that mining concessions can also affect the most diverse areas of the country in the future and be a potential threat to bird habitat.

"Our desire is to publish a detailed book, with more information, that has the threats that each species suffers and the situation in which they find themselves, not to remain

The Ministry of the Environment offers its support to the research group, since the list will be officially recognized and will be used as a tool for its management.

This is fundamental for the project because, as Freile says, "the environmental entity commits the plans such as the improvement of the management and management of protected areas, the establishment of critical zones, in addition to naming more conservation areas, for example, we have the reserve of Machalilla, Arenillas among others, but not much more; in Zapotillo, the birds of the dry forest are threatened and it is necessary to strengthen the legislation ".

The researchers hope that the final list is finished before the end of this year.