*4.2.2 Habitat loss and alteration*

Although the large infrastructure and the expansion of roads, provide facilities for the development of communities and population centers, the pressure on natural ecosystems increases exponentially, as does the risk of extinction of endangered species of flora and fauna. This is the case of the localities in the highlands where the Topo Hydroelectric Project is being implemented a few kilometers from the border of the Llanganates National Park. This same project has promoted the extension of a road toward the Leon River near the junction with San Jacinto River, a few kilometers from the present investigation area, which has led to an increase in grasslands and habitat fragmentation. Furthermore, new hydroelectric projects are planned for the future, such as Abitagua, which will form a reservoir on the provincial border between Tungurahua and Pastaza, affecting the mouth of Rio Encanto and an as yet undetermined area in the only probable zone for implementing an effective corridor between the Llanganates and Sangay National Parks.

On the other hand, in the area of Boayaku and Flor de Bosque, are reported latent threats of mining exploitation and oil expansion, as they are located within Block 28 Petroleum concessions in the south-central Amazon, which puts the water sources and territories of the species recorded in this study at high risk.
