RESERVA BUENAVENTURA

Fauna and Flora: El Oro Parakeet, Long-wattled Umbrellabird, El Oro Tapaculo, Western White Capuchin Monkey, Western Two-Toed Sloth, Spotted Tigrillo and Coati.

The Buenaventura Reserve was created to protect the home range of the El Oro Parakeet (Pyrrhura orcesi), which was discovered in 1980 by Robert Ridgely. In the 1990s, the forest cover of this area was reduced and substantially devastated, due to the creation of extensive pastures. The reserve protects one of the most extensive patches of piedmont cloud forest in the western foothills of the Andes in southwestern Ecuador.

In this area elements of dry Tumbesian forests from southern Ecuador and northwestern Peru are combined with species from the humid forests of Chocó in the northwestern Ecuador. This is one of the most devastated regions worldwide, since it is estimated that only 5-10% of the original forest cover remains standing.

In this reserve we work on reforestation activities to reinforce El Oro Biological Corridor. We also manage a nursery of native plant.

Until 2019, we held the Nest Box Program for the El Oro Parakeet, and also worked on the reintroduction of the red-masked parakeet

From Machala: The reserve is about an hour and a half by car. Take the road that leads to Piñas. Passing the city of Saracay, you will find a sign of Fundación Jocotoco and the Selva Alegre Spa, take the left-side road, and continue for approximately 5-6 kilometers until you reach the entrance to the reserve.

From Piñas: Take the road that leads to Saracay and Machala. At approximately 15 minutes from the city of Piñas, you will see a chapel on the right side of the road. Continue for approximately 5-6 kilometers until you find a sign of Fundación de Conservación Jocotoco and Selva Alegre Spa, take the right-side road, and continue for approximately 5-6 kilometers until you reach the entrance to the reserve.

Trail use hours: 07:00 am to 03:00 pm

Information for the visitor:

• Feeding wild animals is prohibited.
• Drone use is prohibited.

The climate of the reserve depends on the humidity that comes from the Pacific Ocean. The air cools as it ascends towards the mountains, in the lower part of the reserve it is sunnier, drier and with a more "Tumbesian" aspect. In this area there are small populations of the endangered Gray-cheeked Parakeet (Brotogeris pyrrhoptera) and the Pacific Royal Flycatcher (Onychorhynchus occidentalis). There is also a lek of the Long-wattled Umbrellabird and half a dozen Gray-backed Hawks (Chordeiles acutipennis).

The reserve has a register of more than 330 species of birds, out of which 15 are globally endangered and 34 are local endemics. In addition, the upper part of the reserve is ideal habitat for the El Oro Parakeet (Pyrrhura orcesi) and the Ecuadorian Tapaculo (Cytalopus robbins) that was discovered in 1985, and whose population comprises not more than a few dozen pairs. This small bird has not been found in any other location in the world.

In 2010 a project for the reintroduction of the White Capuchin Monkey of the West began. This monkey species was highly threatened in Ecuador until its extinction in the 90s. Likewise, there are at least three troops of the Black Howler Monkey living in the reserve.

In the lower parts of the reserve scientists have recorded bright-colored poisonous frogs in the small streams, as well as one new species of lizard and several Morpho butterflies.

The flora of Buenaventura includes various endemic and threatened species. The trees of the Cloud Forest offer an ideal habitat for epiphytes, orchids, heliconias and giant trees. These big trees are responsible for the humidity and richness of the area. They have been regenerating, since a large part of the reserve was covered by pastures for cattle.

It is possible to stay within the Buenaventura Reserve, at the Umbrellabird Lodge, managed by Jocotours. To know more about accommodation services and touristic offers, please get in touch with our touristic operator.

Outside the Lodge:

• 2 trails of medium difficulty
• 6 km Scenic route of low difficulty
• Hummingbird garden in the upper part of the reserve
• Lek (place of courtship) of the Umbrellabird
• Researchers and volunteers station at "Sambo Tambo"
• Observation of nest boxes of El Oro Parakeet, in the upper part of the reserve

Only 5-10% of the original forest cover remains in this region, one of the most devastated areas in the world. By the 1990s, the forest cover in this region was substantially reduced and devastated by the creation of extensive grasslands. The reforestation program has allowed for the recovery of patches of native forests in the reserve, which help strengthen the El Oro Biological Corridor, in addition to sustainable management activities for the cultivation of native plants.

Among the other programs carried out at the reserve are the Nest Box Program for the Orcés Parrot and the reintroduction of the Red-faced Parrot and expansion of the protected area.