Refugio de Vida Silvestre Isla Corazón y Fragata

Refugio de Vida Silvestre Isla Corazón y Fragata (REVISICOF) covers 2,812 hectares of intertidal mudflats and mangrove forest. It is a wildlife refuge located on the Pacific coast of Manabi Province in Ecuador, managed by the Ministry of Environment and Water of Ecuador. In 2005, part of the area was declared an Important Bird Area on the basis of its importance to several species of waterbird. Nearby communities promote conservation and ecotourism represents an additional source of income. Local communities also use the area for fishing and recreation.

Regular waterbird surveys carried out in the area since 2012 by Aves y Conservacion and staff of REVISICOF showed the area to be of importance to shorebirds, which was highlighted in Ecuador’s Shorebird Conservation Plan. Monthly surveys carried out between August 2018 and February 2019 by Aves y Conservacion further confirmed the importance of the site to shorebirds.

The surveys showed that REVISICOF is home to many species of shorebirds, the most common being the Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola), Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus), Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca), Willet (Tringa semipalmata), Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla, Wilson’s Plover (Charadrius wilsonia beldingi), and Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus). The site is designated as a WHSRN Site of Regional Importance for the presence of more than 1% of biogeographic populations of the Wilson’s Plover (ssp. beldingi) and Whimbrel (ssp. rufiventris).

REVISICOF has a management plan published in 2014 that will be updated in 2022. The management plan identifies direct threats to the area and a vulnerability analysis of these threats. The threats with the highest impact are expansion of shrimp farms in the buffer zone, contamination by solid waste dumps and wastewater from populated areas, and bad management in the catchment area of the Chone River including the construction of dams that generate sedimentation and contamination.

Management priorities include four programs 1) Biodiversity Management: Implements activities that aim at the conservation of the flora and fauna, as well as generate scientific information to assist the administration to make sound decisions on conservation goals; 2) Enforcement: Creates a focus on enforcement by users with the rules and regulations established for the different areas of the refuge); 3) Public Use and Tourism: Maintains control over the tourism operators and their use of the established areas for tourism, and to maintain the entire tourist infrastructure of the refuge; and 4) Communication, Education and Environmental Participation: Promote a culture of respect for biodiversity and good management of solid waste by creating awareness through environmental education with communities and educational institutions on the importance of the protected area and its conservation.