ABOUT
Wildsumaco Biological Station (WBS) is a collaborative initiative of Francis Marion University (FMU), the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW), and Wildsumaco Wildlife Sanctuary, S.A. (WWS). The Station is sited on WWS property in Napo Province, Ecuador.
The primary mission of WBS is scientific study and education, focused on the ecology and natural history of the east Andes foothills forests in which it is embedded, and other nearby ecosystems. Ongoing research projects will focus on biodiversity discovery and inventory, and the ecology of regional ecosystems and their constituent species.
The staff of WBS has also established invaluable partnerships with faculty at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE). Their work in Ecuador is possible only through the oversight and support of the excellent faculty and staff of PUCE.
Another important mission of WBS is conservation of these same foothills forests, which are under increasing threat from deforestation. The ecotourism focus of our partners at Wildsumaco Wildlife Sanctuary includes offering viable economic alternatives to the local people. The Biological Station seeks to complement and reinforce these conservation goals through education and dissemination of scientific findings.
WBS is committed to the study and protection of biodiversity, and to research and education for students, faculty, and citizens of the United States, Ecuador, and the global community.
