Bugs, humidity, and oceans galore in the Bosque Seco

Another wonderful week in Ecuador, I finished my Spanish class, went to zumba with my host mom, and went off to the coast of Ecuador for five days. 

The beginning of the week started off hectic because we had a lot of homework assignments due for biology class and our Spanish classes ended on Wednesday! For the first two days of the week we were the only ones at the university because everyone else had a break for Carnaval. I can’t complain too much because on Tuesday in our Spanish class we learned how to salsa dance, listened to Ecuadorean music, and learned about the history of Carnaval. Unlike what most people think Carnival actually started in Egypt and Sumer and only spread to Latin America through the Conquistadores. After giving a presentation about lacrosse in Spanish on Wednesday, Spanish was officially over, and definitely the shortest class I have ever taken! In biology this week we learned how to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which is essentially a way of collaborating data and organizing it geographically to make a map. 

This week I also went to zumba with my host mom in the park in my neighborhood! There were about 15 other women from the neighborhood and myself.  For the first half I was doing fine in the class, but in the second half the hips came out, and for as much as I tried I just could not move my hips the same way at the other women! It was a great bonding experience with my host mom!

Then on Thursday I left for the coast of Ecuador and to the Bosque Seco or dry forest.  We went to the Lalo Loor Dry Forest Reserve, which is run by the Ceiba Foundation and is located n the Pacific coastal province of Manabí, Ecuador. It lies in a transition zone between the very wet forests to the north and the very dry forests further south. It is about a seven-hour drive from Quito but we also stopped multiple times along the way! The Lalo Loor Dry Forest Reserve protects 200 hectares (around 500 acres) of forest, which is extremely important in this region, as 98% of dry forests in Ecuador have been deforested for agriculture and other land use.

Howler Monkeys

Dry forests are more similar to the forests that we are used to in the United States because there is seasonality to them.  There is a wet and dry season and in the dry seasons the trees are deciduous and drop their leaves. These forests have been the victims of deforestation mainly because their soil is nutrient rich and is extremely fertile.  Deforestation has extreme effects on the land as it causes the loss of soil fertility, soil compaction, reduced water quality, and more carbon being released into the atmosphere. Additionally, the forests are being replaced by pastures, which the worst environmental impact on the land. 

The minute we stepped off the bus, it was clear we were no longer in Quito.  The temperature had risen by around 20 degrees and it was extremely humid and buggy.  For the next three nights we stayed at a cabin in the Lalo Loor Reserve.  We went on hikes to look at all the different types of plants and landscape there and we were extremely lucky because a family of Howler monkeys also decided to camp out right where were we were sleeping.  After the first morning it was clear why they are called howler monkeys because by 7 am they were screaming back and forth to one another.  While we were there we also went bug hunting to compare the different bugs in forested areas, pastures, and reforested areas.  We all ran around trying to capture bugs with our hands, nets, or through a vacuum!

Bug Hunt

Pig next to the river

We also went to nearby towns to test the water quality of their rivers.  This is something I am going to do again as a part of my internship at the end of the semester.  We went to a river located 20 minutes away and while we were there in the river we saw people swimming, doing laundry, and some animals.  We tested the river for different criteria and perhaps the most shocking was the extremely high level of E. coli we found in the river. In the United States no lake should ever exceed 1,000 E. coli cells per 100 mL of water, in the river we tested we found 1700 E. coli cells per 100 mL of water.  During my internship in April I am going to continue testing the rivers and also help educate the locals about the importance of not drinking or bathing in the river as it can make them extremely sick. We are also trying to teach them not to let their animals be near the river as that is how the E. coli arises in the first place. 

Tree Planting

Camping out on the beach

On Sunday morning we went to a nearby agroforestry farm where the landowner has converted part of his land to agriculture, while continuing to plant trees and other natural vegetation.  While there we sampled his delicious coffee and cocoa and even planted trees!  In the afternoon we all got to enjoy the rest of our Valentines Day with a nice relaxing afternoon in the ocean. I was definitely 'kissed by the sun' for my Valentines Day. We camped out on the beach and swam in the Pacific Ocean where the waves were gigantic! We then played a very intense game of ultimate Frisbee on the beach.  At night we had a bonfire and went to sleep to the sound of the ocean and beautiful night sky. 

Now, I am back in Cumbaya with just enough time to do some laundry and take a test on Wednesday. On Friday we head out to the Amazon for the next two weeks!

I am very excited for this upcoming week and I will definitely write all about my experiences in the Amazon when I return. 

Celebrating Carnaval in the Páramo

It is hard to believe that I have been in Ecuador for almost a month! But it has been one of the most exciting, fun, and adventurous months of my life.  This week continued to live up to those standards and I  had another great week of school, traveled to Andes Mountains and Paramo over the weekend, and celebrated my first Carnival.  

Fruit at the market

This week in school for Spanish we learned more grammar, but also learned about more cultural aspects of Ecuador.  On Monday we took a field trip into Quito to go to a fruit and vegetable market.  There, we all picked out at least one new food item, which we then had to share with our class the next day.  The market was filled with tons of new fruits and also some interesting smelling fish, cow’s tongue, and octopus.  I bought Pitahaya, otherwise known as Dragon Fruit, which is from the Coast of Ecuador and tastes super sweet and looks similar to a clear kiwi on the inside.  

Cow's tongue

In biology we continued to learn about population biology and then focused on methods of how to successfully conserve our ecosystems.  We discussed a few different methods both ex-situ (off site), which is when you take the organism out of its native environment, like a zoo, and then also in-situ (on site) methods, which is when you preserve the ecosystem and the organism.  While that method may seem like the clear choice, it is not always easy to preserve an ecosystem.  For example, while it is easy to declare a national park on paper, it is much more difficult to actually provide the funding and enforcement for it.  In 2014 alone, over 50 park rangers were killed, and over half of them were killed by poachers.   

Many countries have initiated payment for ecosystem services to encourage landowners to protect their forests.  For example, in Ecuador there is a policy called socio-bosque, which is the government’s innovative “payment for conservation” program that combines land and biodiversity conservation with social welfare. Communities and private landowners enrolled in the program obtain annual payments from the national government in return for conserving the forest on their lands for a minimum of 20 years. Currently, Socio Bosque makes over $7 million in annual payments to these communities and landowners to help them achieve their sustainable development goals and improve their community infrastructure.  Although in theory this is a great policy, the government is currently bankrupt and there is little available money to pay people for socio-bosque.  The government also heavily taxes these same land owners.  These conservation issues will only continue to grow as the necessity of protecting the limited biodiverse ecosystems become even more eminent.  

Some plants of the páramo

Sponge Grass!

On Friday we left for our trip to the Páramo.  The Páramo is an area found in the northern Andes Mountains that is high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline.  This weekend we visited two separate reserves both around 4200 m in the Paramo.  To give some context for that elevation level, Quito is located around 2850 m and Wisconsin is around 1000 m in elevation.  This was definitely a large altitude change and it even walking for a little while could make you out of breath.  Luckily, the best medicine for altitude sickness is chocolate, which I definitely did not mind eating.  The vegetation that grows in this area mainly consists of giant rosette plants, shrubs, and grasses because these are the plants that have the necessary adaptations to survive in the cold, dry, low Carbon dioxide and oxygen levels, and windy environment that make up the Paramo.    

After I fell in a bog up to my waist

On the first day we traveled to Cayambe Coca National Park.  This is a national park, which has had relatively little grazing and is mostly preserved habitat.  Here we looked around at all the different flora and fauna and then went for a four hour hike through the area.  The hike was beautiful and we even saw two spectacled bears! (Don’t worry they are mostly herbivores and we were looking at them through our binoculars). One of the funniest parts of the hike came as I was walking, just enjoying my scenery and the day when I suddenly stepped forward and sank into the ground.  While the area was much dryer than usual I successfully found a spot where a bog had been layered with grass and I sunk into the water up to my waist! Luckily I was not last in line and my friend and teacher pulled me up out of the water, leaving a bucket full of water in both of my boots.  Following the hike, we stopped at a hot spring on our way home where we swam, relaxed, and enjoyed the hot water after a long and cold day.  

Doing Research in the grass

Antisana Volcano

On Saturday we again returned to the Paramo, but this time to the other side of the Andes to Antisana National Park.  This park is mucher newer than where we were the previous day and only recently prohibited grazing on the lands. Here we did research to compare between the previous day’s ecosystem and Antisana and found that, as expected, there was much more grass and less diversity because much of the land has been used for agriculture.  Our luck also continued because it was a gorgeous day and we had a beautiful view of the Antisana volcano, which was covered in snow at the top blending in with the clouds.  In Antisana we also did some bird watching and saw multiple condors, an endangered species which are vulchers with an average seven foot wingspan!  Similar to many other areas, large parts of the Paramo have already been converted to pastures for agriculture and it is being deforested at unprecedented rates, where some of the trees have been there for thousands of years. It is essential to protect and preserve the Paramo because it is extremely important to Ecuador and the world.  It is a main source of fresh water for Quito, has a high amount of biodiversity, and serves as a carbon sink.  

My Host Family and I celebrating Carnival

My weekend fun did not stop in the Paramo, however, because on Sunday we had a free day and Ecuador is currently celebrating Carnival .  Carnival is one of the main festivals celebrated in Ecuador the week before ash Wednesday and basically goes from the weekend until Tuesday night.  I can happily say I have now celebrated and experienced the full effects of Carnival in Ecuador.  My host family invited me to go to lunch at one of their friend’s house.  It started off like a typical Ecuadorian lunch: it was very slow, there was a lot of food, and a lot of talking.  As we started to finish up lunch, the excitement began when my host brother David squirted me with colored foam typical of carnival.  After that, all the adults also joined in by squirting foam, water, flour, eggs, sugar, coffee, red wine, and anything else they could find.  It takes a water fight and food fight to a whole new level.  While I am still working on getting the brown sugar out of my hair, it was definitely a great afternoon and experience!

My weekend finished with a  little American tradition because a bunch of us from my program went to my friend’s house to watch the superbowl and eat chips and guacamole!  It definitely had an Ecuadorian twist, however, because the announcers only spoke Spanish and we definitely had some different commercials! I can’t wait to see what the rest of the week has in store!

Hasta Luego and happy Carnival!

Everyone on my program