ECUADOR'S CLOUD FORESTS
Ecuador's size is only approximately 276,880 km2, a little larger than the Australian state of Victoria, or about half the size of France. Although relatively small in size, the Ecuador Cloud Forests are considered the richest Biodiverse hot-spot on the planet. Containing approximately 15-17% of the world's plant species and nearly 20% of its bird diversity. While Ecuador covers only 1.6% of South America, it is home to almost 50% of the bird species on the continent (1,515 out of 3,100). The dry and moist forests of western Ecuador are some of the most threatened ecosystems in the world. The arid region of south-western Ecuador harbours 55 restricted range bird species - the second highest total of 57 global “Endemic Bird Areas”. With over 1,500 species of birds it ranks fourth in avian diversity amongst all countries in the world. By comparison the size of Australia is 7,617,930 km2 and has only 800 species of birds. Ecuador's Cloud Forests are home to iconic species such as the Spectacled Bear, Jaguar, Sloth, Howler Monkey, Puma and many other creatures. Sadly Ecuador's rainforests are being cleared at a rate of approximately 198,000 hectares per year including large areas of the Cloud Forests. At this rate it is predicted that Ecuador will be completely deforested within the next 30 years without intervention. (https://www.rainforestrescue.org.au/page/87/ecuador-cloud-forest-biodiversity) |