BIODIVERSITY
Andean Fox at Cotopaxi National Park
According to Conservation International, an organization dedicated to the conservation of global environment, Ecuador is one of seventeen mega diverse countries in the world. In addition to the mainland, it also features the Galapagos Islands for which it is most well known.
The country has 1,600 bird species on the mainland (15% of the world’s known bird species), and an additional 38 species endemic to the Galapagos Islands. Moreover, 16,000 species of plants, 6,000 species of butterflies, 106 endemic reptiles and 138 endemic amphibians can be found throughout Ecuador. Besides being known as a region for distinct fauna, the Galapagos Islands, perhaps most noted for being the birthplace of Darwin’s Theory Of Evolution, have also been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The country has 1,600 bird species on the mainland (15% of the world’s known bird species), and an additional 38 species endemic to the Galapagos Islands. Moreover, 16,000 species of plants, 6,000 species of butterflies, 106 endemic reptiles and 138 endemic amphibians can be found throughout Ecuador. Besides being known as a region for distinct fauna, the Galapagos Islands, perhaps most noted for being the birthplace of Darwin’s Theory Of Evolution, have also been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
