Vida de Ecosistemas Terrestres

Public concern was sparked in Guayaquil after a video went viral showing a man carrying an American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) on his shoulders, with its jaws and limbs bound. The incident opened a debate on the presence of this species in urban tidal branches such as the Estero Salado, as well as the appropriate way the public should respond to sightings.

FLS-ESPOL professor and researcher Julián Pérez demystified the perceived inherent aggression of these reptiles during everyday encounters across the city:

Neighborhood concerns near kilometer 8.5 of Vía a la Costa raised questions about whether the presence of these animals was driven by climate anomalies. In response to these inquiries, biologist and FLS-ESPOL research professor Julián Pérez clarified that these sightings are not necessarily tied to the onset of climatic events like El Niño, as the species has historically inhabited the tidal channels and mangrove branches of Guayaquil.

On August 19, the Faculty of Life Sciences (FLS) hosted the final presentation and defense session for formative research projects carried out by students enrolled in the Aquatic Ecology course.

The academic session was coordinated by professor and researcher Félix Morales, Ph.D., with the support of Biology student Josué Romero. During the event, student teams delivered detailed ecological assessments of various water bodies across the coastal region, including:

Biology students from the Faculty of Life Sciences (FLS) at ESPOL participated in the 9th Ecuadorian Ornithology Meeting (REO 2026), held from July 29 to August 2, 2026, in Cotacachi, Imbabura province. This gathering brought together students, researchers, professionals, birdwatchers, and representatives from various organizations dedicated to the study and conservation of Ecuadorian and Neotropical avifauna.

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.

Guayaquil encompasses at least six protected forests and hills—including Cerro Blanco, Cerro Colorado, and Cerro Paraíso—that function as urban green lungs and natural barriers against unplanned urban sprawl.

During his remarks, Julián Pérez Correa, specialist at FLS-ESPOL, emphasized the biological richness concentrated within these ecosystems:

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 coexistence of residential neighborhoods in northwestern Guayaquil and the Cerro Azul natural reserve represents one of the city's most emblematic ecological and landscape models. While local families defend the integrity of this ecosystem against extractive and urban encroachment pressures, the scientific community corroborates the forest tract's direct impact on residents' well-being.

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.