Location:
The province of Imbabura, cantón Cotacachi, in the parish García Moreno.
Surrounding communities:
Villaflora of Manduriacu.
Area:
966 hectares.
Ecosystem:
Forest piemontano and lower montane.
Altitudinal range:
1050 – 1950m
Endangered species:
Ateles fusciceps (IN), Mindomys hammondi (EN),, Cephalopterus penduliger (VU), Nymphargus manduriacu (CR), Rhaebo olallai (CR), Nymphargus balionotus (IN), Pristimantis mutabilis (IN), Magnolia chiguila (CR).
Bookings
Private Protected Area Candelaria
Booking Naturetrek Candelaria
Booking Naturetrek Vizcaya
Private Protected Area River Zuñag
Booking Noah Britton
Reserve House of the Frogs of Adela
Booking Machay
Booking Chamana
Booking Olivier Currat
Booking Rio Verde
Booking Nelson Palacios
Description of the area
The booking Río Manduriacu is located to the northwest of Ecuador, in the canton of Cotacachi – Imbabura province, at the junction of the bioregion Chocó and the Tropical Andes. The reservation is located in the micro-watershed of the río Manduriacu, which is extremely diverse and is highly threatened by habitat destruction and pollution, mostly by mining, ranching, deforestation, invasion, infrastructure megaprojects, monocultures. This area has a very high rainfall and humidity, with temperatures between 18 – 20°C.
This book is part of the Area of Conservation and Sustainable Use Municipal Intag – Toisán (ACUSMIT), created by the GADM of the canton of Cotacachi through ordinance on April 18, 2019 and is adjacent to the National Park Cotacachi – Cayapas, and the Protective Forests of The Cedars and The Cebu city; consolidating an important area of conservation, at the end of the lower part of the province of Imbabura.
The intervention of the Fundación EcoMinga in this area was promoted thanks to the joint work with the Foundation Andean Condor, who managed to identify an important space of conservation of 600 has been around the community of Villaflora of Manduriacu. Currently under an agreement of co-management institutional, Fundación EcoMinga manages the area of the reserve Río Manduriacu to expand 965 ha.
Stands out in this place the rediscovery of the Andean Toad of Tandayapa (Rhaebo olallai), a species that was considered extinct and is currently critically endangered (CR), plus the addition of new species such as the Frog Glass Manduriacu (Nymphargus manduriacu, CR), the Frog Glass of Nouns, endemic to the cordillera of the Toisán (Hyalinobatrachium nouns), and others are in danger of extinction.
Flora and fauna
The Andes have the highest rate of discovery of new species of amphibians in comparison to any biogeographic region in South America, and the reserve Manduriacu is a good example of this condition, with two species of frogs endemic and highly endangered, including the Frog Glass Manduriacu (Nymphargus manduriacu, CR), the Andean Toad of Tandayapa (Rhaebo olallai, CR), Frog Glass of Nouns (Hyalinobatrachium nounsalong with other species such as the frog crystal point cinnamon (Nymphargus balionotus, IN) and the Cutín Mutable (Pristimantis mutabilis, IN). Other wildlife species are highly endangered include the Bird Umbrella Longuipéndulo (Cephalopterus penduliger, VU), the Cuckoo Nest Banded (Neomorphus radiolosus, IN) and occasionally the Spider Monkey Head Brown (Ateles fusciceps, IN).
The area is also important for the endemic plants, including several new species of orchids such as Masdevallia purocafeanaother plants newly discovered as Magnolia chiguila (CR), and a species of Magnolia not yet described. Also, there are records of rodents such as the Rat of Mindo (Mindomys hammondi, IN) and the Rat Montana Musser (Pattonimus musseri), endemic to the reserve.
How to know the reserve Río Manduriacu?
You can reach the commune Villaflora of Manduriacu, the nearest town to the booking with public and private transport. For which you should take the road E28 from Quito in the direction of The Banks – Pachijal – Green Sky, and then take a path to be hampered by 6 km (about 20 minutes) to the population Villaflora of Manduriacu. Approximate time of transfer 3 hours.
The other route goes from Ibarra to Cotacachi – Apuela – Chontal – Magdalene – Green Sky. If you get to Heaven, Green public transport, you can take a van to Villaflora of Manduriacu for 10 dollars. Approximate time of transfer 5 hours.
The reserve has a guest house, Home Magnolias, which can receive up to 8 people, and is located in the commune Villaflora of Manduriacu.
Fundación EcoMinga is a non-ecuadorian non-profit organization that is dedicated to the protection of areas of high endemism and biodiversity.