Executive Summary: The conservation of Ecuador's biological diversity is essential for national sustainable development, but it can only be guaranteed to the extent that the breadth and multiplicity of interrelationships between species and the environment are known, as well as the impact that human activities cause in the environment and habitats.
The objective of this project is to develop a methodology to value the ecosystem services of aerofauna through the sustainable constitution of a multidisciplinary working group, aimed at introducing this methodology for the valuation of environmental services, and the introduction and application of remote optical and spectroscopic methodologies with a Scheimpflug LIDAR (sLIDAR) system, to evaluate the interactions between bats and the flying insects on which they feed.
The measurement technology that combines methods of remote lidar sensing, modulated spectroscopy and biophotonics is relatively low cost, but it provides a large amount of information that is not currently possible to obtain and can be easily disseminated in the future in Ecuador and the region. This project seeks, through the design and construction of a sLIDAR-type light radar, to detect the presence, activity, and taxonomy of flying insects in agricultural areas of Ecuador, so that data can be provided to find viable solutions to two important environmental problems. The first is the conservation of bats since these species are highly threatened in areas of agricultural productivity because they suffer the impact of the destruction of habitats and refuges, despite the fact that they provide important environmental services: seed dispersal (frugivorous species); pollination, (nectarivorous); and pest control (insectivorous). The second environmental problem is the generation of food products with a low load of accumulated pesticide substances, a difficult problem to solve due to the resistance generated by insect pests to the extensive use of chemical pesticides.
Through sLIDAR, it is hoped to analyze light backscatter signals generated by insects in flight, and, through harmonic analysis, to know their species and activity patterns. Simultaneously, through ultrasound detection, it is hoped to determine the diversity and abundance of insectivorous bats in natural ecosystems, in productive ecosystems and on forest edges between the last two and the interaction of bats and their prey.
These data, through extrapolations and based on information from farmers, will allow an economic valuation of the pest control ecosystem service. These results will be applied to improve the social perception of bats, so that the problem of extinction threat to these species is reduced and to suggest new areas for reforestation and protection in forest remnants, so that by using the natural pest control of bats, the use of pesticides can be reduced.
This methodology can be used in the future for many other problems and species to contribute to the knowledge and appreciation of our biodiversity, essential to ensure its adequate conservation and adequate sustainable use, and to position the country's natural heritage adequately and objectively in the global context before decision makers and national and international institutions.
General Objectives: Implement sLIDAR technology in Ecuador, and apply it to the investigation of predator-prey interactions between bats and insects in a context of interest for the conservation and economic valuation of the natural heritage of Ecuador.
Specific objectives:
- Development, implementation and field application of the Scheimpflug LIDAR-based optical remote monitoring methodology (sLIDAR), applied to studies of ecology and sustainable economy, in a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional context. Indicator: An operational, tested sLIDAR system, and data related to evaluation field trips.
- To evaluate the diversity and abundance of insectivorous bats and their prey in different agroecosystems of Ecuador and their interactions with their potential prey in the evolutionary biological context. Indicator: Reports of results of measurement campaigns with sLIDAR and acoustic detection. Evaluations of zonal parameters of the species, such as relative abundances, population movement patterns, interaction intensities.
- Introduce a new methodology based on state-of-the-art technological and physical tools to determine with high precision, in economic terms, the value of the ecosystem services provided by insectivorous bats in combating pests in productive agricultural areas of the Country. Indicator: Reports of results of measurement campaigns with sLIDAR. Implementation and testing protocols; Calibration, test and data collection protocols in the field; Protocols and computational tools (scripts, evaluation programs, etc.) for the evaluation of measurement results; An application manual of entomological LIDAR technology.
- Improve the conservation status of bats by providing specific scientific information on their biological and economic value in ecosystems, highlighting their importance in Ecuador's biodiversity. Indicator: Reports of results of measurement campaigns with sLIDAR with emphasis on environmental services and the biological value they provide; Joint field campaigns with the Bat Conservation Program of Ecuador (PCME) to socialize the importance of conservation.
- Disseminate the methodology to promote its application in other biological and ecological fields, sustainably and with a broad expected impact on biological, ecological and economic research through national and regional collaboration networks. Indicator: Reports of measurement campaign results; Scientific and technical publications; Dissemination events in the communities near the measurement areas (in coordination with the PCME) and in the participating universities; A manual available to the specialized public and the community in general.
Participating Institutions:
EPN, PUCE, UTPL.
Participants:
Project manager Cesar Augusto Costa Vera.
- Cesar Augusto Costa Vera
- Diana Pamela Rivera Parra
- Santiago Fernando Burneo Nunez
- Leonardo Alberto Basile Carrasco
- Whitewashed Swan DianaJumbo
Awarded budget: $63330
Project status: Signing of agreements.
