ANDES
TO
AMAZON
OVERVIEW
LOCATION
The Andes to Amazon Program takes place in mainland Ecuador in South
America. Dominated by the longest mountain range in the world, Ecuador
is home to a wild and mountainous terrain, containing 22 mountains above
11,000 feet (including Chimborazo, the country’s tallest at 20,720 feet). Your
course takes place on the eastern edge of the country, where Ecuador claims its
small patch of Amazon rainforest on the far side of the mountains. Once you’ve
learned about Kichwa culture, you’ll head to the páramo, a sub-alpine tundra
that’s considered one of Earth’s evolutionary hot spots. It’s home to your
research subjects, the Andean (or spectacled) bear and the mountain tapir.
ACADEMIC CONTENT
During EPI’s 12-day field ecology course, students complete 50 hours of
classes in the following subjects:
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Spectacled bear and mountain tapir ecology
Biogeography
Telemetry and GPS tracking
Ecology of ecosystems, particularly páramo and rainforest
Scientific process– students will complete their own research project
Identifying nvironmental ssues
Conservation and protected-area management
www.ecologyproject.org • academic & cultural exchange field programs • 4 06 .721.8 78 4
RESEARCH CONTENT
Spectacled bears and mountain tapirs are both threatened mammal species of the
Andean cloud forests and sup-alpine grasslands in northwestern South America.
Habitat loss and poaching are the primary threats to both - habitat loss due to
logging and farming, poaching due to low average wages and a high price point for
organs and pelts on the black market.
EPI’s partner, the Andean Bear Foundation (ABF), has a primary objective
to conduct research to reduce human-large mammal conflict. ABF is monitoring
wild populations of mountain tapirs and spectacled bears to better understand
population numbers, distribution, and to understand wildlife-cattle conflict for
resources and prime habitat. Cattle ranching is a primary economic activity in the
region and cows compete for food with mountain tapirs. Cattle also adversely affect
fresh-water ponds and lakes, contaminating drinking water for human and wildlife
populations. Spectacled bears occasionally depredate cattle, and in general, rural
communities have negative views of wild tapirs and bears.
Using GPS and radio-tracking technology, researcher Armando Castellanos
and his team are tracking annual movement patterns of spectacled bears and
mountain tapirs in the Papallacta River region of the Andean highlands. Documenting
these movement patterns will help ABF design prediction models that can inform
wildlife management decisions and grazing patterns to reduce conflict.
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES
The focus of this program is scientific, and the biological research can be hard
work, involving mid-level hikes in varied conditions. During the day, students dive
in to the scientific method, wildlife biology, and other information integral to their
coursework. Other organized activities include:
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Natural history hikes in the cloud forest and rainforest
Educational exercises and investigations
Team building activities, initiatives, and games
Chocolate-making at a Kichwa community center
Native botanical garden visit
Canoe rides
www.ecologyproject.org • academic & cultural exchange field programs • 4 06.721.8 78 4