Amazon Scientific Station

The SEK International University has a spectacular Scientific Station in the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon which offers accommodation facilities, food, laboratory area, rooms, internet, weather station, water and land mobilization for researchers, collaborators and students of the University, as well as its research networks. Immersed within the Limoncocha Biological Reserve and next to the Laguna of the same name, high-level research is carried out as well as community actions for the benefit of the indigenous Kitchwa population.

La Universidad Internacional SEK, posee una espectacular Estación Científica en el corazón de la amazonia ecuatoriana, la cual ofrece facilidades de alojamiento, alimentación, área de laboratorio, habitaciones, internet, estación climatologica, movilización acuática y terrestre para investigadores, colaboradores y estudiantes de la Universidad, así como de sus redes de investigación. Inmersa dentro de la Reserva Biológica de Limoncocha y junto a la Laguna del mismo nombre, se realizan investigaciones de alto nivel así como acciones comunitarias en beneficio de la población indigena Kitchwa local
DESCARGA LA REVISTA

Head of the
Scientific Station

José Gabriel Salazar Loor

Engineer in Geographical Sciences, Master in Socio-Environmental Studies (FLACSO), currently coursing the doctoral program in History and Geography at the University of Cantabria. Professional expert in the use of geographic information systems and land planning with experience in the use and valuation of the natural resources. Associated participant (Collaborator) in national as well as international projects related to environmental protection and environmental management. Currently, he is carrying out the functions of the Coordination of the Limoncocha Scientific Station, where apart from the scientific work of the place, community outreach and relationship programs are carried out with the communities present in the area of ​​the Limoncocha Biological Reserve.

Support
Staff

Jendry Bladimir Moya Silva

At 46 years old, married and working for SEK International University since 07/01/1997. Jendry is in charge of the Limoncocha Scientific Station as the Head of Maintenance. He is In charge of maintenance, cleaning and logistics in transporting supplies, transfer for students and teachers who visit the station. Jendry also has activities as a technical assistant in different studies due to his expertise in the area regarding the sampling and monitoring of natural resources.

Limoncocha Community

The history of Limoncocha Community dates back to the mid-1950s, when a group of Napo Runas, a name given to the Kichwa communities settled on the banks of the Napo River, were brought by a group of missionaries to the banks of the Laguna del Capucuy (currently known as Laguna de Limoncocha). This settlement was the first documented presence of people in the area. Since this date, the members of Limoncocha Community have developed their life style committed to the customs inculcated by their ancestors in a close relationship with the lagoon, a place considered sacred in their cosmovision.

On the other hand, Limoncocha Community has experienced and has witnessed the continuous changes that the area has faced, in which the oil expansion that was consolidated in 1982 with the installation of the Occidental oil company in the area or the declaration of the area around the lagoon and its surrounding rivers as a biological reserve are remarkable.

Currently, Limoncocha Community consist of a population that has developed its own lifestyle that has seen activities such as tourism or agroecology as new ways for the sustainable development of the different social actors that are part of this natural area.

Limoncocha Biological Reserve

The Limoncocha Biological Reserve was declared on September 23, 1985 as a Biological Reserve. Its ecosystem corresponds to that of tropical humid forests. Its average altitude is 230 meters above sea level.

The main component of the reserve is the lake system made up of the Limoncocha Lagoon and Laguna Negra (Black Lagoon / Yanacocha), which have great fauna richness, and are the refuge of the characteristic black caiman (Melanosuchus niger). Additionally, in recent years it has become a preferred site for scientific bird watching due to presence of a large number of species and its high endemism.

The Reserve located in Sucumbíos province, near the Yasuni National Park, with which it maintains a symbiotic relationship with respect to the species, especially birds, that coexist in both spaces; in addition, the historical liessons that have established the populations and human activities in the area. The rivers in this area are: the Napo river and the Limoncoha lagoon (dead arm of the Napo river), which gives its name to the Reserve, as well as other important rivers such as the Capucuy river, the Itaya river, the Jivino river and the Indillana river.

Projects

View Projects

ProjectPeriodFacultyThematic areaDirector
Limnological restoration of the Limoncocha Lagoon2019-2021Faculty of Engineering and Applied SciencesScience Research

PhD. Miguel Martínez Fresneda

mestre.martinez@uisek.edu.ec

Evolutionary, Ecoepidemiological Patterns, and In silico diagnosis of Emerging Diseases2019-2020Faculty of Engineering and Applied SciencesScience Research

PhD. Juan Carlos Navarro

juancarlos.navarro@uisek.edu.ec

Prevalence of Trypanosomossis in Animals of Livestock Interest in the Coastal and Amazon Region of Ecuador2020-2022Faculty of Engineering and Applied SciencesScience Research

PhD. José Rubén Ramírez

jose.ramirez@uisek.edu.ec

Evaluation and Prevention of Emerging and Re-Emerging Diseases and Public Health Risk in the Population of Limoncocha, Sucumbíos2020-2021Faculty of Engineering and Applied SciencesCommunity outreach

PhD. José Rubén Ramírez

jose.ramirez@uisek.edu.ec

Epidemiological Patterns of Neglected and Re-Emerging Diseases2021-2025Faculty of Engineering and Applied SciencesScience Research

PhD. Juan Carlos Navarro

juancarlos.navarro@uisek.edu.ec

Gender Mainstreaming as a Transformative Strategy Towards Equity: Case Study of the Bio-Entrepreneurship of Organic Guayusa Cultivation and Derivatives in the Kichwa Community of Limoncocha2021-2022Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y JurídicasScience Research

PhD. Elena Burgaleta

elena.burgaleta@uisek.edu.ec

Technological Development in the Limoncocha Community Through the Application of Precision Agriculture and Sustainable Transport2022-2023Faculty of Engineering and Applied SciencesCommunity outreach

Msc. María Gabriela Mancheno Falconí y MSc. Jaime Vinicio Molina Osejos

maria.mancheno@uisek.edu.ec

Jaime.molina@uisek.edu.ec

Implementation of Health Promotion Strategies in Communities Comprising the Parishes of Carcelén, Santo Domingo, and Limoncocha2022-2023Faculty of Health SciencesCommunity outreach

PhD. José Rubén Ramírez

jose.ramirez@uisek.edu.ec

Support and Mentorship for Bio-Entrepreneurship in the Limoncocha Community2022-2024Faculty of Health SciencesCommunity outreach

PhD. José Gabriel Salazar Loor

Jose.salazar@uisek.edu.ec

Promotion of Mental Health in the Communities of Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, Limoncocha, and the Metropolitan District of Quito (DMQ) 2023-2024, UISEK Psychological Care Center2022-2023Faculty of Health SciencesCommunity outreach

Msc. Michelle Stephanie Medina Herdoiza

Michelle.medina@uisek.edu.ec

Application of Automotive Repair and Painting Techniques in the Limoncocha Community2022-2023Faculty of Engineering and Applied SciencesCommunity outreach

Msc. María Gabriela Mancheno Falconí

maria.mancheno@uisek.edu.ec

Implementation of Health Promotion Interventions in the Communities of Santo Domingo, Limoncocha, and the Metropolitan District of Quito (DMQ) 2023-20242022-2023Faculty of Health SciencesCommunity outreach

Msc. Adriana Gabriela Castillo Landín

adriana.castillo@uisek.edu.ec

Opportunities for Crop Automation in the Limoncocha Community2023-2025Faculty of Engineering and Applied SciencesCommunity outreach

Msc. María Gabriela Mancheno Falconí

maria.mancheno@uisek.edu.ec

Intangible Values of Protected Areas in Ecuador: Case Study of the Limoncocha Biological Reserve2023-2025Faculty of Architecture and EngineeringScience Research

PhD. José Gabriel Salazar Loor

Jose.salazar@uisek.edu.ec

Implementation of a Training Program on Environmental Impact Recognition and Sustainable Use of Environmental Resources in the Limoncocha Community2024-2025Faculty of Architecture and EngineeringCommunity outreach

PhD. José Gabriel Salazar Loor

Jose.salazar@uisek.edu.ec

English Language Training for Park Rangers of the Limoncocha Biological Reserve Under the MAATE Program2024-2025Faculty of Architecture and EngineeringCommunity outreach

PhD. José Gabriel Salazar Loor

Jose.salazar@uisek.edu.ec

Political Participation Rights Journal for the Inhabitants of Limoncocha2024-2025Faculty of Social and Legal SciencesCommunity outreach

MSc. Roberto Alejandro Bravo Freire

Roberto.bravo@uisek.edu.ec

Infrastructure

Limoncocha Scientific Station Facilities
Limoncocha Scientific Station has the following facilities for all its visitors:

  • Three bedrooms:

1 bedroom with two one and a half size beds 
2 bedrooms with 7 one size bunk beds

  • Dining room for 30 people (Adaptable as a Classroom).
  • Industrial cook stove
  • Laboratory with basic research equipment (Adaptable as a Classroom).
  • Rest area with hammocks.         
  • 2 Restrooms (inside the main building) 
  • 2 bathrooms with three showers cubicles (outside the main building)
  • 24-hour guard
  • Internet with WIFI
  • Electric generator
  • 8 sits van for short trips inside and out of the Limoncohca Biological Reserve.
  • 2 sits truck with a truck bed floor when load work is needed.
  • 12 sits boat for tours and work in the Lagoon.
  • Note:  Facilities pictures must be attached.
Universidad Internacional SEK Ecuador 2021 | © Derechos Reservados
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