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Achievement Report 03 June 2012 Ecuador - Amazon Hub Case study: Rare & New Species While current research at GVI Amazon is focused on road effects, compiling a comprehensive species list for the Yachana Reserve is an ongoing objective of our project, in order to uphold the Reserves status as a Bosque Protector (Protected Forest, a designation we have earned from the Ecuadorian Ministry of the Environment). Despite six years of near=constant surveys by GVI Amazon volunteers, the diversity of the Amazon is so great that new species are still being added to the list. Perhaps the most exciting of these additions occurred recently during a reptile and amphibian Visual Encounter Survey (VES). These nocturnal surveys have been designed to determine the changes in species density and composition in relation to distance from the road, and recent weeks have seen a huge spike in reptile and amphibian sightings. One site in particular yielded stunning results, with enormous amphibian density and diversity, including a sighting of Hemiphractus scutatus a frog found only once before here on the reserve and the discovery of the Amazon Leaf Frog, Cruziohyla craspedopus, never before encountered in Yachana. What is particularly special about these discoveries is the usual difficulty in seeing such canopy-dwelling species. As they rarely venture within terrestrial realms and only do so under very particular conditions it is difficult to get an accurate representation of these species. Furthermore, the frogs ability to generate public interest and enthusiasm due to a strikingly spectacular appearance greatly increases the value of such discoveries, and proved to be the ideal educational tool during a recent visit by around 75 students from an international school in Quito. The student visits, split over three days, were lead by two Yachana Technical High School students who are completing a 3-month internship at GVI as part of our National Scholarship Program (NSP). Guided visits with our NSP students served to give the younger students from Quito a taste of the research going on here at GVI Amazon. The wow-factor of the impressive amphibians worked wonders in evoking a genuine interest in the students, acting as the perfect portal for introducing educational science and conservation concepts. Thanks to a hands-on learning approach, the hard-work of our Yachana NSP interns, and the peculiarity of our amphibian friends, the students were educated, amazed, and inspired, rendering the visits a great success. We have since been able to continue this fantastic education model in our local community, with GVI interns and NSP students organizing science days at GVI for our local schools check out the photos below!

 the Amazon Leaf Frog, Cruziohyla craspedopus

Hemiphractus scutatus

 GVI volunteer teaches local school children, teachers and parents about GVIs conservation work in the Yachana Reserve

GVI Amazon National Scholarship Program student Henry teaches the schoolchildren how to make Kichwa crowns, woven from jungle plants

 GVI staff, interns & NSP student with the children and parents from Agua Santa school, during Science Day at GVI Base Camp