Abstract
Biodiversity is vital for the stability of the planet; its ecosystem services provide essential elements for our survival and well-being. This review analyzes the national biodiversity policies and describes the main strategies for biodiversity conservation in Ecuador, one of the “mega-diverse” countries in the world with the highest species density. It deepens an analysis of in-situ and ex-situ conservation processes. Ecuador has six clear policies for biodiversity conservation. These policies strengthen biodiversity conservation through mechanisms that improve the well-being of wildlife by ensuring human, wildlife and ecosystem health. It promotes actions for the welfare of wildlife, through technical, administrative and legal tools. The National System of Protected Areas, with 60 protected areas, is the most effective in-situ conservation instrument at the country level. Several ex-situ conservation and management means for the conservation of wild species are being utilized, including nurseries, botanical gardens, zoos, germplasm banks, aquariums, species reproduction and rehabilitation centers. Ecuador is making slow progress on ex-situ conservation despite the availability of a sound policy framework, possibly due to financial, infrastructural, and/or technological challenges, and knowledge gaps. We propose fostering international research collaborations and establishing fully funded small-scale captive breeding programs at zoos, aquariums and university research facilities to help recovery of at-risk species of reptiles, amphibians, fish and species beyond Galapagos region. We recommend utilizing citizen science programs to fill the gaps of biodiversity information and increasing efforts to revive the ex-situ conservation strategies in protecting the unique biodiversity of Ecuador.
Highlights
The loss of biodiversity is rapid and continuous [1,2]
The Environment Ministry of Ecuador, in accordance with the considerations established in the Ecuadorian Constitution on the protection of the country’s natural and cultural heritage, on 7 August 2017, through Ministerial Agreement 29, Official Registry 52, agreed to issue the National Policy for the Management of Wildlife (NPWM)
For the application of the National Policy for Wildlife Management (NPWM), wildlife shall be understood as animal and plant species and other organisms not domesticated by human beings, which have originated and live freely in their natural environment, subject to the processes of natural evolution and which have ecological, social, cultural and/or economic importance including urban wildlife [39]
Summary
The loss of biodiversity is rapid and continuous [1,2]. Over the past 50 years, high consumerism and atrophic pressures have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively than in any comparable period of human history [3]. The human population increase brings an ever-increasing demand for exploitation of natural resources, agricultural and animal production, urban expansion, industrial processes and trade on a global scale This in turn results in negative impacts and threats to biodiversity, such as habitat loss, overexploitation, pollution, invasive species and climate change [5]. The Environment Ministry of Ecuador, in accordance with the considerations established in the Ecuadorian Constitution on the protection of the country’s natural and cultural heritage, on 7 August 2017, through Ministerial Agreement 29, Official Registry 52, agreed to issue the National Policy for the Management of Wildlife (NPWM). For the application of the NPWM, wildlife shall be understood as animal and plant species and other organisms not domesticated by human beings, which have originated and live freely in their natural environment, subject to the processes of natural evolution and which have ecological, social, cultural and/or economic importance including urban wildlife [39]. The application of the policy is evaluated by the National Environmental Authority, through the Undersecretary of Natural Heritage in coordination with the National Directorate of Biodiversity, according to the monitoring and evaluation guidelines established by the Ministry of the Environment [36,37]
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