Huamboya Municipal Conservation Area

In linking protected areas, Huamboya establishes habitat connectivity essential for the long-term survival of such far-ranging species as the vulnerable spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus), lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris) and near threatened Jaguar (Panthera onca). The area is also an Endemic Bird Area with 36 range-restricted species, including the vulnerable Ecuadorian piedtail (Phlogophilus hemileucurus) and near-threatened wattled guan (Aburria aburri). Ranging between 2,000 to 5,600 feet above sea level, Huamboya fills an elevation gap in the country’s national protected area system; the four national parks on the Ecuadorian east slope are generally higher than 3,000 feet above sea level.

To date 586 endemic plant species – or species found nowhere else on the planet – have been recorded in adjacent Sangay National Park, or approximately 20 percent of Ecuador’s total. Based on proximity, scientists estimate that Huamboya also has a high level of plant endemism.

Nearby communities rely on water that flows through the area for drinking, agriculture and other activities. Protecting the area will safeguard water supplies from outside threats as well as prevent droughts and floods, both of which are becoming more common with climate change. Huamboya will also preserve the home and ancestral practices of a significant indigenous population, principally members of the Shuar Nationality.

Huamboya Municipal Conservation Area is a result of collaboration between Nature and Culture International, local communities and the Municipal Government of Huamboya. The area was created with the generous financial support of the Andes Amazon Fund.