Global Vision International, 2010 Report Series No. 002 GVI Ecuador Rainforest Conservation and Community Development Phase Report 102 Friday 2nd April – Friday 11th June 2010 GVI Ecuador/Rainforest Conservation and Community Development Expedition Report 102 ` Submitted in whole to Global Vision International Yachana Foundation Museo Ecuatoriano de Ciencias Naturales (MECN) Produced by Chris Beirne – Field Manager Oliver Burdekin – Field Staff Simon Mitchell –Field Staff Jennifer Sinasac – Field Staff Kristina Spicer – Short-term Intern and Bianca Amato Scholar Jacqueline Le Roux Volunteer Benny Mansfield Scholar Chris Morgan Volunteer Kristie Callahan Intern Charlotte Mugarra D’Cruze Volunteer Adam Goldberg Intern Heather Murray Volunteer Laura Jones Intern Benjamin Opeka Volunteer Joe Langridge Intern Sophie Pesquidous Volunteer Thomas Smith Intern Anastasia Porteous Volunteer Edwin Vaca Intern Anneka Sutton Volunteer Rebecca Barnard Volunteer Sloan Sweigart Volunteer Melissa Bobowski Volunteer Jose Grefa Pasante Kyrie Burgoine Volunteer Bexi Jimenez Pasante Melissa Gardiner Volunteer Jairo Cerda Pasante Hugh Greasley Volunteer Cristian Falcones Pasante Jonathan Hamer Volunteer Edited by Karina Berg – Country Director GVI Ecuador/Rainforest Conservation and Community Development Address: Casilla Postal 17-07-8832 Quito, Ecuador Email: [email protected] Web page: http://www.gvi.co.uk and http://www.gviusa.com Executive Summary This report documents the work of Global Vision International’s (GVI) Rainforest Conservation and Community Development Expedition in Ecuador’s Amazon region and run in partnership with the Yachana Foundation, based at the Yachana Reserve in the province of Napo. During the second phase of 2010 from Friday 2nd April to Friday 11th June, GVI has: Added 18 new species to the reserve list, all birds; Tiny Hawk (Accipiter superciliosus), Pale-tailed Barbthroat (Threnetes leucurus), White-necked Jacobin (Florisuga mellivora), Tawny-throated Leaftosser (Sclerurus mexicanus), Black-banded Woodcreeper (Dendrocolaptes picumnus), Chestnut-winged Foliage-gleaner (Philydor erythropterum), Plain Xenops (Xenops minutus), Bicoloured Antbird (Gymnopithys leucaspis), Pygmy Antwren (Myrmotherula brachyura), Crowned Slaty Flycatcher (Griseotyrannus aurantioatrocristatus), White-winged Becard (Pachyramphus polychopterus), Golden- crowned Spadebill (Platyrinchus coronatus), White-thighed Swallow (Neochelidon tibialis), Black-faced Dacnis (Dacnis lineata), White-vented Euphonia (Euphonia minuta), Fulvous Shrike-tanager (Lanio fulvus), Masked Tanager (Tangara nigrocincta), Canada Warbler (Wilsonia canadensis). Continued assesseing the effect of habitat change in understory bird communities. Continued to collect data on the effect of structural habitat change on the amphibian and reptile communities, using pitfall trapping and visual encounter surveys. Continued with a project investigating the effects of disturbance from the road upon butterfly communities. Continued to sample dung beetles within different habitats around the reserve. Continued with English lessons for local school children in Puerto Rico twice a week. Continued giving English classes at Puerto Salazar whenever possible. Welcomed four pasantes (work experience students) from the Yachana Technical High School to join the expedition, in order to exchange language skills, knowledge and experience. Visited Yasuní National Park and Sumak Allpa, an island reserve and school run by a local conservationist. 3 Continued helping the local organisation Amanecer Campisino with their projects in the local region. Participated in two mingas (community projects); one at Puerto Salazar and one at Puerto Rico. Conducted a stream quality assessment comparing stream health on the reserve and stream health in the nearest community, Puerto Salazar. 4 Contents List of Figures ....................................................................................................................6 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................7 2 Avian Research ..........................................................................................................10 2.1 Avian Mistnetting ....................................................................................10 2.2 Point Counts ..........................................................................................14 3 Mammal Incidentals ....................................................................................................20 4 Herpetological Research.............................................................................................20 4.1 The Effect of Structural Habitat Change on Herpetofaunal Communities20 5 Butterfly Research ......................................................................................................26 5.1 Assessment of Antropogenic Disturbance on Butterfly Communities .....26 6 Benthic Surveying .......................................................................................................31 7 Community Development Projects ..............................................................................35 7.1 Colegio Técnico Yachana (Yachana Technical High School) .................35 7.2 TEFL at Puerto Rico...............................................................................36 7.3 English Classes at Puerto Salazar .........................................................36 8 Future Expedition Aims ...............................................................................................37 9 References .................................................................................................................38 9.1 General References ...............................................................................38 9.2 Field Use References.............................................................................39 9.3 Avifuanal References .............................................................................40 9.4 Amphibian References ...........................................................................43 9.5 Butterfly References...............................................................................46 9.6 Benthic References ................................................................................46 10 Appendices .................................................................................................................48 10.1 GVI Species List ....................................................................................48 Class Aves ..............................................................................................................48 Class Mammalia ......................................................................................................53 Class Sauropsida ....................................................................................................54 Class Amphibia .......................................................................................................55 Class Arachnida ......................................................................................................56 Class Insecta ...........................................................................................................56 10.2 Yachana Reserve Map .............................................................................................61 10.3 Complete Benthic Surveying Results .......................................................................62 5 List of Figures Figure 1.1 – Map showing GVI Amazon location in Ecuador Figure 2.1.1 - Map showing the location of each mist netting site Figure 2.1.2 - Summary data from Phase 102 Figure 2.1.3 - Summary data for the whole project to date Figure 2.2.1 - The number of species recorded by each observer Figure 2.2.2 - Perecentage congruence with staff member versus hours of training. Figure 4.1.1 - Number of individuals found in pitfalls in Phase 102 Figure 4.1.2 - Number of individuals found on visual encounter surveys in Phase 102 Figure 4.1.3 - Number of individuals found in pitfall traps in total in the project so far Figure 4.1.4 - Number of individuals found in total for visual encounter surveys in the project so far Figure 4.1.5 - Distrobution of species diversity at each pitfall trap Figure 5.1.1 - The new standardised dot codes introduced in week six of Phase 101 and used consistently through Phase 102 Figure 5.1.2 - Individual butterfly numbers as distributed in trap sites along the road, on the trail and in the forest for Frontier and Columbia Trails Figure 5.1.3 - Species diversity indicated by number of species collected at each of the disturbance levels – road, trail and forest for Frontier and Columbia Trails during Phase 102 6 1 Introduction The Rainforest Conservation and Community Development Expedition operated by Global Vision International (GVI) is located in the Yachana Reserve in the Napo province (0° 50' 45.47"S/ -77° 13' 43.65"W; 300-350m altitude), Amazonian region of Ecuador. The reserve is legally-designated a Bosque Protector (Protected Forest) consisting of approximately 1000 hectares of predominantly primary lowland rainforest, as well as abandoned plantations, grassland, riparian forest, regenerating forest and a road. The Yachana Reserve is owned and managed by the Yachana Foundation. It is surrounded by large areas of pasture land, small active cacao farms and currently un-mapped disturbed primary forest.