Conservation of the Andean Tapir (Tapirus pinchaque) in the eastern slopes of the Central Andes of Ecuador
Project Goal: To increase Andean tapir populations to stable levels and strengthen the management of the two largest parks in Ecuador that still harbor the Andean tapir— Llanganates and Sangay National Parks.
The Andean tapir is among the world’s most endangered large mammals and has a key role in sustaining plant diversity. Hunting, habitat destruction and cattle pose the greatest threats. It is hunted because its size and dark coat make it appear dangerous, and because it is believed to have aphrodisiac properties. In reality, it is a shy, gentle herbivore. The tapir has received little attention from governments in Ecuador and insufficient conservation actions.
The Andean habitats where the tapir occurs are considered “global conservation hotspots,” having been destroyed over much of their extent but containing very high biodiversity. Llanganates and Sangay National Parks are thought to represent the greatest strongholds for Andean tapir populations in Ecuador, and are places where the species could make a comeback to more stable population sizes. Improved management of these parks will also be beneficial for the conservation of many other plants and animals.
This project has four major outcomes. The first is to increase scientific knowledge of the Andean tapir. Field work and photo-documentation will be conducted to determine the size of, location of, and threats to the remaining tapir populations in Ecuador. Finding Species and collaborating scientists are undertaking field photo-documentation and camera trapping of the tapir in remote locations as part of this work. The second outcome is to enlist community support. Finding Species is conducting an outreach campaign to local communities surrounding Llanganates and Sangay National Parks, about the endangered status of the tapir and its biological value and lack of harm to humans. We are engaging communities to reduce their hunting and ranching activities in the parks that threaten the tapir. The third is to improve local and national policies and laws, by educating local and national government officials about policy and legal changes that would better protect the tapir and other endangered plants and animals. The fourth outcome is to improve government management practices in the national parks where the tapir is found. Park rangers and other federal and local government agency officials must be engaged in actively reducing hunting and cattle ranching activities in the parks, increasing plant cover, and creating safe biological corridors and buffer zones for migration of the species. Finding Species is educating these actors through workshops, and is also seeking to make the tapir a flagship species in the Baños region based on its unusual charisma and importance to Andean ecosystems.
The project is being carried out by a strategic alliance between Finding Species, the Oscar Efrén Reyes Foundation, the Amazonian-Fatima Technological Resources Center, and scientists from the the IUCN Tapir Specialists Group, and has the support of the Ecuadorian Ministry of Environment and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
