Idea Wild Project – Discovering Invertebrate Diversity in the Meullín–Puye Nature Sanctuary

The Cuervo River basin, located within the Meullín–Puye Nature Sanctuary, hosts a wide variety of ecosystems, including forests, wetlands, peatlands, lakes, rivers, glaciers, among others.

To date, the diversity of large vertebrates and vegetation within this protected area has been assessed; however, there is a significant gap in knowledge regarding the invertebrates (insects) that inhabit this conservation area.

For this reason, in October 2022 Fundación Kreen applied to the Idea Wild fund, which seeks to minimize biodiversity loss by empowering key actors dedicated to conservation. Through this initiative, the foundation was awarded a stereoscopic magnifying glass— a scientific tool that will enable a first step toward characterizing aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates in the basin, estimating their composition and diversity, and identifying threatened taxa.

In addition, these studies aim to promote environmental education actions together with the local community, focusing on invertebrate conservation and their importance within the ecosystem.