Manabí Advances in Ecosystem Protection: New Conservation and Sustainable Use Areas in Chone and Tosagua, Ecuador
Manabí continues to make progress in conserving key sites for migratory shorebirds, fragile ecosystems, and the protection of its water sources. In coordination with local governments and community actors, territorial processes are being strengthened to reinforce the sustainable management of forests, wetlands, and ecologically important areas in the cantons of Chone, Tosagua, and San Vicente.
This progress has been supported by the technical accompaniment of the Conserva Aves program, together with Fundación BOMACO, the Coastal Solutions Program, the municipal autonomous governments, as well as the Sustainable Environmental Investment Fund (FIAS) and Aves y Conservación.
Tosagua: Conservation with Territorial and Legal Foundations
In April 2025, the canton of Tosagua declared its Conservation and Sustainable Use Area (ACUS) through the Ordinance for the Protection and Restoration of Water Sources, Fragile Ecosystems, Biodiversity, and Environmental Services. The regulation supports the conservation and management of approximately 10,955.62 hectares located in the buffer zone of the Isla Corazón y Fragatas Wildlife Refuge, of which 469 hectares are mangroves that serve as refuge for various migratory birds.
In the characterization process supported by Conserva Aves, 94 bird species have been identified, mostly resident species that depend on wetlands influenced by the Carrizal River. Additionally, 12 Tumbesian endemic species and 6 migratory species have been recorded, and during the latest monitoring, more than 50 nests of Petrochelidon rufocollaris were observed, confirming the area’s reproductive and ecological value.
Chone: Strengthening the La Segua Wetland
In parallel, Chone approved its ACUS of 238,800.91 hectares through an ordinance signed on June 11, 2025, of which 5,420 hectares are in an area prioritized by Conserva Aves. The goal is to strengthen the protection of the La Segua Wetland, recognized as a Ramsar Site and Key Biodiversity Area (KBA). More than 150 bird species have been recorded in this area, including migratory shorebirds of hemispheric importance. Additionally, this ACUS becomes the largest municipal conservation area in the province.
The ACUS also incorporates essential water recharge zones that supply Chone, San Vicente, and Pedernales, as well as forested areas that host threatened species, including the brown-headed spider monkey, classified as critically endangered.
San Vicente: Expansion of the ACUS to Protect Water Sources and Mangroves
San Vicente expanded its Conservation and Sustainable Use Area (ACUS) by 7,422.7 hectares through a reform ordinance dated September 26, 2025, incorporating forest remnants, mangroves, riverbanks, and shrimp farms linked to the Chone River estuary. The expansion includes water recharge zones and strategic streams, mangroves in the Salinas and Simón Bolívar sectors, shrimp farms that serve as habitat for migratory shorebirds, and key territories such as La Cabuya, Palmichal, Boca de Briceño, El Bálsamo, La Esperanza, and Valle de Hacha.
With this decision, the canton strengthens the protection of its water sources, expands ecological connectivity, and advances toward a territorial model that prioritizes environmental restoration, sustainable production, and nature-based tourism. The expansion of the ACUS reinforces a strategic tool for ensuring water security and improving the management of ecosystems that support local communities.
An Ecological Corridor for Water Security and Bird Conservation
The coordination among the ACUS of Tosagua, Chone, and San Vicente contributes to the consolidation of the Chone River Estuary Biocorridor, which connects mangroves, wetlands, and transitional forests. These ecosystems play a key role in water regulation, carbon capture, connectivity for resident and migratory birds, and climate resilience.
Manabí, a province that depends directly on the health of its watersheds to ensure water for its communities, finds in these protected areas a strategic tool to strengthen water security, safeguard biodiversity, and promote sustainable, territory-based development.
About the Conserva Aves Initiative
Conserva Aves is a regional initiative that promotes the creation and strengthening of conservation areas led by communities and local governments along bird migration routes throughout Latin America. Its approach is based on participatory planning, capacity building for local actors, and institutional coordination to ensure that protected areas are managed sustainably and in ways that benefit the communities who depend on these ecosystems.
Conserva Aves is led regionally by American Bird Conservancy, National Audubon Society, BirdLife International Americas, Birds Canada, and the Latin America and Caribbean Network of Environmental Funds (RedLAC). The national partners in Ecuador are Aves y Conservación and the Sustainable Environmental Investment Fund (FIAS), who lead implementation with the support of the Bezos Earth Fund.
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