Andes Amazon Fund celebrates the latest expansion of the Río Negro Sopladora – Tinajillas Río Gualaceño National Park by 79,362 acres (32,117 hectares) on November 13, 2024. The National Park will now safeguard over 162,741 acres (65,859 hectares) of fragile montane ecosystems in the provinces of Azuay and Morona Santiago, Ecuador, including páramos, mountain forests and rivers along Ecuador’s southeastern Andes and upper Amazon rainforest. This expansion more than doubles the area of the National Park, home to the spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus) and mountain tapir (Tapirus pinchaque), and increases ecological connectivity among the surrounding protected areas. The park encompasses terrain with a high altitudinal range, resulting in a variety of precipitation levels, types of soil, and temperatures and creating a highly biodiverse and varied mountainous landscape.

Increasing ecological connectivity for Ecuador’s southeastern Andes
The expansion of the Río Negro Sopladora – Tinajillas Río Gualaceño National Park connects the National Park southward with the Siete Iglesias Municipal Conservation and Ecological Area, forming an extensive wildlife corridor, increasing ecological connectivity and protecting valuable water resources for the southeastern Ecuadorian Andes. In addition, the National Park is in close proximity to the surrounding Sangay National Park north of Río Negro Sopladora – Tinajillas Río Gualaceño National Park. The expansion adds an important protected area for the continuity of the Sangay – Podocarpus ecological connectivity corridor.



Regarding the establishment of the Río Negro Sopladora National Park in 2018, Andes Amazon Fund strategic advisor Dr. Adrian Forsyth highlighted that “the significance of this area is magnified by rapid climate change. Río Negro–Sopladora National Park is a climate change escape valve. Its mountainous slopes and its connection with National Parks to the north and south allow plants and animals to relocate as the climate changes. Without this combination of protected habitat, connectivity and the possibility of elevational movement, climate change will drive species to extinction.”


The expansion covers the area previously demarcated as the Tinajillas Río Gualaceño protected forest area which spans fragile Andean montane and forest ecosystems. This expansion upgrades this area to be a National Park. In previous stages, Andes Amazon Fund supported Conservation International in strengthening the Limon Indanza municipality’s conservation efforts for the Tinajillas Río Gualaceño area.
Andean forests and Paramos
High, rugged mountains hosting Andean forest and páramo ecosystems are characteristic of this area. Dense vegetation, difficult accessibility and little human intervention are factors that make the expanded National Park an ideal refuge for flora and fauna. Here, high humidity Andean forests host diverse micro habitats, among some of the most biodiverse on the planet, whilst páramos store large amounts of carbon. The páramo soil acts as a water reservoir, almost like a sponge, releasing water in a controlled manner and forming the headwaters of the Negro River, which gives the National Park the first part of its name.



It is important that the National Park has been expanded in order to safeguard the undisturbed habitat of mammals and birds that require a large territory to survive across the continuous mountain ecosystems. The National Park is an irreplaceable area for bird conservation due to the concentration of endemic and restricted-range species and its protection allows for the maintenance of migrations across altitudes and improves the possibilities of adaptation of species to climate change. Among the bird species present in the National Park are the gray-breasted mountain toucan (Andigena hypoglauca) which may be spotted resting in the crown of Andean forest trees and the Black-and-chestnut eagle (Spizaetus isidori), a species considered globally endangered.


Acknowledgements:
The expansion of the Río Negro Sopladora – Tinajillas Río Gualaceño National Park was made possible by the Ministry of the Environment, Water and Ecological Transition of Ecuador (MAATE) and the municipal government of Limón Indanza. Technical support for the expansion was provided by Nature and Culture International – Ecuador with the financial support of the Biodiverse Landscape Fund, the Stockell Family, and the Andes Amazon Fund.
MAKE AN IMPACT
Learn how we can make an impact in our world together. Donate or get involved by subscribing to our email list: