Why Ecuador?
The Northern Andean Montane Forests, Northern Andean Páramo, Napo Moist Forests, Tumbesian-Andean Valleys Dry Forests, Chocó-Darién moist forests are priority regions for threatened and Data Deficient Rodentia. The Ecuadoran Ichthyomyine (Anotomys leander), Hammond’s Rice Rat (Mindomys hammondi) and the Ecuadorean Grass Mouse (Neomicroxus latebricola) are all listed as Endangered due to their small areas of occupancy, and the declining quality and extent of their habitats.
Challenges
Habitat conversion and deforestation for agriculture leading to habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation are the major threats faced in northern and central Ecuador. In general, there is an urgent need for increased habitat protection and research into the ecology, population trends and distributions of priority species in this region.
Solutions
We highlight southern Central America and northern South America (Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru) as the region with the highest number of Data Deficient small mammal species, likely reflecting a combination of relatively limited past research, regional occurrence of many cryptic species and closely related species complexes, and inaccessible landscapes. Increased research attention in these countries is a global priority to improve current levels of knowledge about small mammal diversity and conservation status.
Future Plans
While the SMSG is not currently active in Ecuador, we plan to turn our attention to this important region as soon as possible. We will continue to monitor the state of this region’s small mammals through the international scientific literature and IUCN Red List.
If you are a professional small mammal ecologist, taxonomist or conservationist working in Ecuador, please do contact us to discuss your work and how the SMSG might help.
