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Lalo Loor Biological Reserve

Habitat and Location

The Lalo Loor Dry Forest Biological Station is located in the Northern Manabi Province on Ecuador's coast. The site begins at the beach and moves inland into the coastal foothills of the region. The forest, influenced by both warm and cold water ocean currents, is transitional in nature. Patches of thorny, deciduous scrub vegetation are found near the ocean, while moving inland at elevations up to 150 meters the forest is completely deciduous during the dry season. Between 150-350 metres the forest is semi-deciduous, and above 350 meters it is evergreen. During the wet season between January and June, all forest types exhibit lush green vegetation. The reserve lies in the middle of a critical corridor of transitional dry forest running from Pedernales down to Canoas. This 100 kilometre corridor of forest is of key importance because it connects the wetter forest of the Mache-Chindul region in the north to the dryer Tumbesian forest to the south. The plight of the forest in this area is well documented. Less than 1% of the dry forests in Ecuador remain standing. The biggest threats to the region's wildlife and forests are deforestation, hunting, and the contamination of river water. If left as is, most of the remaining forests will be lost during the coming decade. There are a number of flora and fauna species, endemic to the area, that are endangered or likely to be endangered in the near future if the area's forests are not protected.

The reserve will work to combat these pressures in a number of ways. The goal of the reserve is to work towards the preservation and conservation of the unique transitional dry forest ecosystem found in the area. First, and foremost, by protecting existing forests and restoring degraded areas within and outside the reserve. As the reserve develops, we will have a number of conservation projects focused on the restoration of the natural ecosystems, environmental education, and income generation.

Accommodation

There was no electricity or hot water in the cabin; having electricity at the reserve would detract from its rustic charm. There is a little stream nearby where volunteers can bathe, do our laundry, and get drinking water (which needs to be boiled). The toilets are composting, and non-flush. It gets dark very early, and volunteers use candles 5 in the evening. Each room has bunk beds with 4 people in each room, so a couple may able to have their own room depending on how full the reserve is.

Volunteer Activities

• Reforestation and Agro forestry - Reforestation is one of the primary activities of the reserve. Native tree seeds are collected from the forests and grown in a tree nursery. Once the trees reach planting size, during the rainy season they are out-planted into degraded areas. Volunteers also gather inventory data (plant species’ growth rate, success rate, population, etc) in the reforestation areas.
• Trail Maintenance: The reserve’s two trails, Pacific Trail and Butterfly Trail are regularly in need of maintenance. Typical work with the trails involves repairing informational posts about the local ecosystem, clearing fallen and overgrown branches with machetes, and reforming steps that have degraded after heavy rainfall.
• Reserve Infrastructure: Basic construction, building, and maintenance work to improve the station's facilities.
• Teaching Opportunities: The nearest community to the reserve, Tabuga, lies 3km north along the main coastal highway. Volunteers may teach English in any of the 1st - 6th grades. There are also possibilities to assist the local Peace Corp volunteer with environmental education in the school as well. Long-term volunteers with a good knowledge of Spanish are able to participate.
• Forest Hiking: Join Lalo Loor staff members on hikes through our Pacific Trail to learn more about this unique and dynamic ecosystem first hand. The Lalo Loor reserve provides refuge to a diverse wildlife community, and troops of Black Howler monkeys (Alloutta palliata) and the equatorial variety of White-fronted Capuchin monkeys (Cebus albifrons var. aequatorialis) are easily seen in the forest. Peccary, Jaguarundi and tracks of Ocelot have also been seen in the reserve. There is excellent birding along the entrance road, the self-guided nature trail, and along the stream, with a chance of spotting several rare species including the Red-Masked Parakeet, endangered Gray-backed Hawk, Pale-browed Tinamou, Pacific Pygmy Owl, and the Little Woodstar hummingbird.

One former volunteer writes: "The main work took place around the plant nursery. I participated mainly in building it and starting to plant seeds (which meant we had to go and fetch seeds). But as the reserve is very new, it meant there was a lot of work to be done for the cabin as well. We started a garden, planted tomatoes, banana trees, bell peppers, papaya trees etc. This has to be maintained. The main work in future will be to prepare the reforestation area where all the trees and plants which are growing in the plant nursery will be transplanted. Once a week, I would help Andy with grocery shopping, which meant spending a whole morning in Pedernales shopping for food provisions and then carrying everything back to the cabin. Then, a future plan is to create a tourist path for visitors who are interested in the tropical dry forest. This means building the path, building bridges, making educational shields about the characteristics of this type of forest etc. Basically you wake up early because of the noises (monkeys and birds) of the jungle, so you're ready to start work after breakfast, around 8 o'clock, until 12 o'clock. After lunch, it's siesta time, and you only start work around 3 or 4 in the afternoon until 6. Sometimes it's too hot to work, or it will be raining, or you'll have done hard physical work in the morning so you'll be allowed to rest in the afternoon. You can take any day off to go into town as well. You're basically free to work whenever you want, though meal times should be respected. If you're creative, you'll have the opportunity to do art work and crafts, which is a nice activity in the afternoon when you feel you've done enough work in the morning."

Free Time

Volunteers are expected to work 8 hours a day, Monday to Friday; however, weekends are free to explore other towns along the Ecuadorian coast. Pedernales, the closet city to reserve, is 35 minutes north via bus. It has plenty of cheap hotels, good places to eat, and a thriving beachfront bar scene. 1.5 hours from the reserve is Canoa, which attracts tourists from all over the world as well as local Ecuadorians. Things to do include hang-gliding, surfing, swimming, exploring bat caves, and horseback riding.

Number of Volunteers

The Lalo Loor reserve can hold up to 20 volunteers at any one time.

Spanish Requirements

The current reserve coordinator speaks very little English, so it might be necessary to speak some basic Spanish just to be able to understand what the plans of the day are and what sort of work has to be done. However, previous volunteers have managed to cope without knowing any Spanish at all.

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