Canal de Jambelí

The Canal de Jambelí WHSRN site is located in southern Ecuador along the Pacific coast where it forms part of the Gulf of Guayaquil. It covers approximately 55,000 hectares, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Environment and Water, who has jurisdiction over the entire Ecuadorian coast.

The site has been designated as a WHSRN Site of International Importance on the basis of holding over 100,000 shorebirds annually. Specific counts include a total of 105,000 Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla), representing 9.5% of the species “western” biogeographic population (as presented in the Pacific Americas Shorebird Conservation Strategy) and a single day count of 1,000 Wilson’s Plovers (Charadrius wilsonia) of the subspecies beldingi, representing 13.3% of the biogeographic population. Counts of several other species pass the 1% threshold level in these single day counts including the American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus pitanay), the Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) and the Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus rufiventris).

Three local communities are land managers at this WHSRN site, including the Artisanal Fisheries Production Cooperation of Nuevo Porvenir, the Crab-harvest Association of July 6th, and the Crab-harvest Association Balao. The concession area managed by these three communities covers 9,120 hectares and its use is granted through ministerial agreements. These agreements allow the communities sustainable use and management of areas specifically assigned to them. The communities are recognized as traditional users and are the custodians and managers of the remaining mangrove areas, but subject to a series of criteria and legal regulations such as compliance with closures, restrictions on fishing methods and effort, and compliance with the Sustainable use and Custody Management Plan.

Shorebird research and monitoring have been implemented in the area since 2015 by Aves y Conservacion. Between 2016 and 2017 monthly surveys were carried out for a total of 12 months to understand shorebird abundance and spatial/temporal variation. Members of local communities have been trained in waterbird identification and monitoring with funds from the Humedales Costeros initiative and the US Forest Service – International Program, implementing multiple participatory surveys in concension areas since 2019. Additionally, a stretch of 40 km of the site is also monitored annually as part of the Migratory Shorebird Project (MSP) managed by Point Blue Conservation Science.

The designated site includes the 35,000 hectares of the Manglares Churute Ecological Reserve, a Ramsar site since September 1990, and 9,100 hectares representing a community concession area for sustainable use and a large area of mudflats. The remaining 10,000+ hectares fall outside the reserve and are managed by the local authorities in collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment and Water. The Reserve is part of the National System of Protected Areas (SNAP) and has a management plan. In addition, Canal de Jambelí represents the coastal region of the Macizo del Cajas Biosphere Reserve and the Reserve was declared as part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves in May 2013 by UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme.

Threats at Canal de Jambelí include sea level rise, deforestation of mangroves due to the expansion of shrimp farms, pollution from the aquaculture industry and waste from nearby cities. These threats are emphasized of high priority in the exisiting management plans including those of the concession areas. One of the most relevant and important action items of the plans is enforcement of regulations to ensure the implementation of protections within protected areas.