Ayampe Reserve

The Chocó and Tumbes regions host various bird species that are globally threatened. The Esmeraldas Woodstar (Chaetocercus berlepschi) stands out as the emblematic bird of the Las Tunas community. It is a seasonal bird that arrives in the Ayampe area at the end of the dry season and, after the breeding season, migrates back to the coastal mountains of western Ecuador. It is estimated that its current population ranges between 500 and 1,000 individuals, as no other breeding sites have been recorded. To protect it, we are carrying out small-scale habitat restoration activities using plant species that will benefit not only this hummingbird but also other wildlife species, such as the Kuhl’s Pipistrelle Bat (Pipistrellus kuhlii).

Other species present in the reserve include the  Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus), the Gray-cheeked Parakeet (Brotogeris pyrrhoptera), the Guayaquil Woodpecker (Campephilus gayaquilensis), the Gorgeted Woodstar (Chaetocercus heliodor), the Slaty Becard (Pachyramphus spodiurus), the Ochraceous Attila (Attila torridus), and the Henna-hooded Foliage-gleaner (Clibanornis erythrocephalus).

We also conduct marine turtle monitoring on Las Tunas Beach. With the active support of the residents of this ancestral community, we are currently protecting four species of turtles: Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), Green (Chelonia mydas), Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), and Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea).