About This Project

Species with restricted distributions and occur at higher elevations are most prone to extinction. This project will investigate how climate and habitat change may impact on lizards with restricted distributions in Ecuador. Understanding how populations may change through time will enable us to put measures in place to help conserve species. The project will provide locals with the skills to assess and monitor reptile populations within the Santa Lucia Reserve.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

The project will be conducted in the Santa Lucia Reserve in northwest Ecuador, home to one lizard species (Riama yumborum) that is only found within the Santa Lucia reserve ( and one lizard species ((R. oculata) with a highly restricted distribution. Riama yumborum was discovered by the team leading this project but its biology is still poorly documented. The endangered R. oculata has been found to lay eggs in large communal nests with >300 eggs (unpub. data). Since other Riama species have been found to lay a small number of eggs, this communal nest is likely to represent a major breeding ground for these lizards. These breeding grounds are vitally important for these lizards and changes to habitat and climate will impact on them.

What is the significance of this project?

Both Riama oculata and the newly described R. yumborum have extremely restricted distributions and gathering important data on breeding behaviour and population sizes can aid in the preservation of these species and also other enigmatic vertebrates and invertebrates that inhabit the cloud forests in northwest Ecuador.

Understanding the microhabitats that the communal nests of R. oculata and possibly R. yumborum occur in can help us predict the effect that climate and habitat change will have on the biodiversity of the area.

The project will also train and empower locals from the nearby community in ecological and conservation methods, which is vitally important for the conservation of the areas surrounding the reserve and the species that inhabit it.

What are the goals of the project?

> Gather important and novel information on the ecology, breeding biology, and population dynamics of the lizard species Riama oculata and R. yumborum.

It will enable us to predict how future environmental and climatic change will impact on the lizards. As much data on the natural histories of these species will be gathered. For example, the discovery of prehensile (grasping) tails in R. oculata (by the team) could mean that it is not only restricted to the ground.

> Train and empower locals from the Santa Lucia Reserve to effectively gather data and monitor populations of lizards and other reptiles.

This will not only provide locals with the knowledge and expertise to research and conserve their environment but also as a long term strategy for conservation.