Over the past few weeks, beachgoers at destinations such as San Lorenzo and Chipipe (Salinas), as well as coastal resorts in Manta, reported intense skin irritation after entering the sea, characterized by a stinging, prickling sensation followed by rashes.
On August 12, 2026, students from the Invertebrate Zoology course at the Faculty of Life Sciences (FLS) conducted a technical visit to the facilities of the National Center for Aquaculture and Marine Research (CENAIM). The visit was organized by Ana Tirapé, Ph.D., and teaching technician Michelle Vela, Biologist, during an intensive session held from 09:30 to 14:30.
Beyond the immediate mortality of seabirds observed along the nation's coastlines, the most critical and silent toll driven by El Niño conditions strikes marine wildlife reproductive cycles. Faced with the deepening of prey fish and the depletion of surface nutrients, adult birds endure negative energy balances that compromise colony viability.
The emergence of disoriented, dead, or severely emaciated seabirds across both the beaches of Tumbes (Peru) and the coastline and urban areas of Ecuador has raised alarms among the scientific community and environmental authorities. The phenomenon is linked to ocean thermal anomalies and conditions associated with El Niño, which force forage fish away from surface waters or drive them into deeper layers of the water column.
Anomalous sea surface warming along the Ecuadorian coastline and the insular region continues to disrupt prey availability and marine wildlife behavior. In this context, the unusual arrival of seabirds in coastal and urban areas has raised concerns among local communities and conservation experts alike.
The first edition of the Planeta Manglar (Planet Mangrove) Congress concluded after three days that brought together researchers, environmental law experts, managers, and communities around one of the most strategic ecosystems on the Ecuadorian coast.
In the framework of World Environment Day commemorations, research professors from the Faculty of Life Sciences (FLS) provided their technical perspectives in a television report focused on the urgency of curbing carbon emissions and protecting ecosystem services in the country.
In a recent news feature for the Ecuador Megadiverso segment, Julián Pérez, a research professor at the Life Sciences Faculty (LFS), highlighted the biological richness of the "La Boca" area in San Clemente, Manabí. This region, where the river meets the sea, is home to more than 300 bird species, making it a natural laboratory for conservation and sustainable tourism.
Under the leadership of the Life Sciences Faculty (FLS), the Aquaforest project continues to set milestones in the country's coastal conservation. This initiative, launched in 2022, utilizes dredged sediments to create new mangrove ecosystems, promoting a nature-based solution for climate resilience.
Within the framework of the institutional project "Assessment of the Conservation Status of PASNAP Emblematic Areas," the National Institute of Biodiversity (INABIO) convened expert researchers for a technical review of biological monitoring methodologies in Ecuador's coastal and marine protected areas.
