Protecting Ecuador's rich biodiversity
Local non-profit organisation Fundación Jocotoco helps protect many of Ecuador’s most threatened species from extinction by acquiring and managing land as nature reserves. To date, it has established a network of 16 private reserves totalling almost 40,000 hectares, while also helping communities and local authorities to manage and protect another 82,000 hectares of natural habitats. Jocotoco’s reserves offer a refuge to species including the Spectacled bear, Puma or Jaguar, and rare birds such as the Jocotoco antpitta, which gave the organisation its name. With the support of Cartier for Nature, Jocotoco is strengthening its work across these reserves with automated cameras and microphones that record and quantify the presence of animals as well as threats such as illegal logging and poaching, which allows them to focus their conservation efforts where they are most needed. Over the next ten years, this work is expected to contribute to an increase in the populations of at least 13 highly threatened priority species in areas that Jocotoco manages.
March 2024