Aim: Paleoenvironmental records have indicated that neotropical areas near the equatorial area experienced a decrease in rainfall during the Last Glacial Maximum. However, some records show contradictory paleoenvironmental signs. To resolve these differences, previous studies have proposed two demographic/genetic scenarios for cloud forests based on opposing precipitation regimes. We use a multiproxy approach on extinct proboscideans (so-called gomphotheres) from Ecuador, to determine the magnitude of the influence of the wet and dry forest model on the coast and in the Inter-Andean Valley of Ecuador. Location: Ecuador. Taxon: Notiomastodon platensis. Methods: Fossil molars were analyzed using stable isotope analysis, dental microwear analysis, and radiocarbon dating. Results: The gomphotheres that were analyzed by radiocarbon dating indicated a range between 23,830 and 31,820 cal yr BP. The δ13Cbioapatite results (–14.82 to –0.78 ‰) indicate that proboscideans lived in a wide variety of environments; however, the values indicate a tendency towards more open and relatively dry environments. We also used dental microwear analysis, which points in the same direction: mostly grass consumption. The δ18O meteoric water values calculated from tooth enamel indicate a clear altitudinal effect on the distribution of proboscideans. Furthermore, the δ18O meteoric water values are similar to those observed at present-day meteorological stations in Ecuador. Main conclusions: At least during the lifetime of proboscideans, we interpret that there were no significant differences in the δ18O values of atmospheric circulation between the Late Pleistocene and the present in the Ecuador area. Although there are still large chronological gaps in paleoenvironmental reconstruction, the effects of the ”dry refuge model” probably had the greatest impact on the landscape of Ecuador during the Late Pleistocene; namely, cloud forests underwent a process of displacement and compression into refuges due to the opposing effects of aridity and cooling.