Shuar and Achuar Territories (Tarimiat Pujutai Nunka & Kutukú-El Quimi-Cóndor) (100385)
Ecuador, South America

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1b, A1d, A1e, B1, B2, B3a, B3b

Year of last assessment: 2023

National site name: Territorios Shuar y Achuar (Tarímiat Pujutaí Nunka y Kutukú-El Quimi-Cóndor)

Central coordinates: Latitude: -2.6508, Longitude: -77.7056

System: terrestrial, freshwater

Elevation (m): 210 to 2800

Area of KBA (km²): 12456.97061

Protected area coverage (%): 16.77

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: No

Site details

Site description: This KBA covers the extension of almost the entire Shuar ancestral amazonian nation territory of Morona Santiago province and the territory of Achuar ancestral amazonian nation from the south banks of Pastaza river. This region was declared as a Territory of Life and Ancestral Use by the prefecture of Morona Santiago with the support of Naturaleza y Cultura International. Altitude: 250 - 2800 m. Additionally, this KBA covers two biological national reserves, El Quimi and El Cóndor plus all the mountain ridges of Kutukú Cordillera and Shaime protected forests. Several rare and endangered ecosystems, such as: Evergreen lowland forest of the Abanico del Pastaza. Evergreen montane, foothill and lower montane forests of the Cóndor-Kutukú mountain ranges. Flooded palm forest and flooded amazon floodplain forest. Floodplain forest of the alluvial plain of the rivers of Andean origin and the Amazonian Mountains. Montane, low montane and foothill evergreen forests on sandstone plateaus of the Cóndor and Cóndor-Kutukú mountain ranges and/in lower Ecuadorian Amazon and, thevergreen shrubland and montane grasslands of the Cóndor mountain range;

Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least eight criteria described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs. 33 species trigger the KBA. The most important are threatened of extinction and range restricted amphibians, like: Noblella lochites (A1a, B2); Excidobates condor (A1a); Centrolene condor (A1a); Pristimantis citriogaster (A1a, B2); Pristimantis almendariz (A1a, A1e, B2); Pristimantis albujai (A1a, B2); Noblella personina (A1a, B2); Chiasmocleis parkeri (A1a, B2). Moreover, vulnerable of extinction species: Neomorphus geoffroyi (A1d); Pristimantis nigrogriseus (A1b, B2); Enyalioides rubrigularis (A1b, B1); Cebuella pygmaea (A1b, A1d); Enyalioides annularis (A1b). Finally, several species are restricted to ecoregions or have more than the 10% of its global distribution in the KBA (criteria B1) some are range restricted, too (criteria B2): Anablepsoides monticola (B1; B3b); Nephelomys auriventer (B1); Dipsas vermiculata (B1); Pristimantis ventristellatus (B1, B2); Pristimantis pramukae (B1, B2); Pristimantis nanus (B1, B2); Pristimantis nankints B1, B2); Erythrolamprus guentheri (B1); Potamites strangulatus (B1); Pholidobolus condor (B1); Lepidoblepharis festae (B1); Chaetostoma breve (B1; B3b); Lebiasina elongata (B1; B3b); Bujurquina zamorensis (B1; B3b); Cetopsis montana (B1) and Hemibrycon orcesi (B1; B3b); Touit stictopterus (B2) and Pyrrhura peruviana (B2) among others.

Additional biodiversity: Panthera onca, Tremarctos ornatus, Leopardus tigrinus, Puma concolor, Spizaetus isidori, Harpia harpyja and recently described species of amphibians, fishes, reptiles and rodents.

Manageability of the site: This region can be supported by the prefecture of Morona Santiago plus the biological reserves that are part of the national system of protected areas (El Quimi and El Cóndor) plus agreements with the shuar and achuar nationalities.

Supersedes another site: Cordillera de Kutukú (14554).

Delineation rationale: This KBA covers or supersede three previous KBAs. The new limits are: on east the borders with Peru. On north the Pastaza river. Towards the west the valleys of Upano, Namangoza and Zamora rivers, the base of the western slope of the Kutukú ridge and on south the borders with Zamora-Chinchipe province.

Habitats

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Forest	85	Forest – Subtropical/tropical moist montane

Threats

Threat level 1	Threat level 2	Threat level 3	Timing
Transportation & service corridors	Roads & railroads		Ongoing
Biological resource use	Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target)	Ongoing
Agriculture & aquaculture	Livestock farming & ranching	Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming	Ongoing
Energy production & mining	Mining & quarrying		Ongoing
Biological resource use	Logging & wood harvesting	Unintentional effects: large scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest]	Ongoing
Natural system modifications	Other ecosystem modifications		Ongoing
Human intrusions & disturbance	Work & other activities		Ongoing
Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases	Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases	Named species	Ongoing
Geological events	Volcanoes		Unknown
Pollution	Industrial & military effluents	Seepage from mining	Ongoing

Additional information