Conservation Project News

Conservation projects news from the World Land Trust, an international wildlife conservation charity working to protect threatened wildlife habitats worldwide.

This page shows the most recent projects news updates, or a selection of posts in the same category. To read older posts, use the projects news archive in the navigation bar on this page. The newest posts can always be found at www.worldlandtrust.org/news/projects-news.htm.

Conservation projects news on this page:

Monday, 19 April 2010:

Saving Orchids and Studying Nests in Ecuador 

Nest studies in collaboration with Natural History of Ecuador's mainland Avifauna project (NHEMA)

Successful collaboration between World Land Trust partners Fundación Jocotoco (FJ) and NHEMA in the past has led to some significant discoveries for bird conservation, and resulted in publications on the first descriptions of nest studies in species such as the Jocotoco Antpitta.

The beautiful pink eggs of the Curve-billed Tinamou - one of the many species being documented by the research on the Jorupe Reserve.


A FJ staff member rescues one of the beautiful orchids smashed from the trees.


Nigel Simpson revisiting an Inga tree he planted in 2004.

As a result of the exciting discovery of a new Jocotoco Antpitta nest in February, FJ initiated new nest studies on the Tapichalaca and Jorupe reserves. These observations have indicated good use of the Antpitta nest and the first nest description of the Rufus Wren at Tapichalaca.

At Jorupe, over a 10-day period of research, 128 nests were recorded as being used by more than 30 species. These recordings will be documented in future publications and will provide new data as little is known about these rare and elusive species.

Saving orchids on the ground

It was a race against time when Dr Robert Ridgely, Deputy Director of WLT-US was last year faced with the traumatising task of rescuing orchids directly from land clearing machinery on the boundary of the Tapichalaca Reserve. Whilst on a site visit to the reserve he came up against the clearance for a road widening project.

"I was nearly crying", said Bob, "it was heart breaking and just brings it home to you how fragile these habitats are". Bob, and staff from Fundación Jocotoco, were in time to rescue and relocate some of the orchids.

Inga Tree planted in Buenaventura Reserve continues spectacular growth

An Inga tree (pictured), which was planted at Buenaventura by Nigel Simpson, co-founder of Fundación Jocotoco in October 2004, grew spectacularly in just a few years, as we reported in 2007. (See WLT News spring 2007 and the news update Rapid forest regeneration at Buenaventura.)

Nigel recently re-visited the tree which he planted as a seedling six years ago. "It is now 15m high and in fruit - providing important food for wildlife. And just below, by a small stream across the trail, was a pair of Pacific Royal Flycatchers."

On 8th February a pair of Condors was seen circling over the tree planting area on another of FJ's reserves, at Yanacocha. This demonstrates that restored forest can provide suitable habitat for these large predatory birds.

Help save rainforests in Ecuador

Support the Ecuador Rainforest project »

Labels: Ecuador

| Permanent location of this post | Read comments (0) |

Share this post with your friends

Friday, 12 March 2010:

180,000 trees planted at Cerro Blanco, Ecuador 

World Land Trust's Ecuadorian partners Fundación Pro-Bosque have been busy with their reforestation programme in the Cerro Blanco Protected Forest.

Top: Volunteers helping to plant trees in Cerro Blanco. Photo © Fundación Pro-Bosque. Above: The critically-endangered Great Green Macaw. Photo © Juna Diego Perez (TNC/Fundación Natura).

At the start of the year, Pro-Bosque organised a day of tree-planting, enlisting the help of over 60 volunteers including students and local professionals. More than 2,000 trees were planted; a significant contribution to their goal of planting 90,000 trees in a 90ha area by the end of the year. Since tree-planting started in 1993, about 180,000 trees have been planted and World Land Trust (WLT) have significantly strengthened their reforestation programme.

All tree species planted are native to the reserve, with particular emphasis on species important for the critically-endangered Great Green Macaw. There are early signs of success. In October 2009, a Great Green Macaw nest was discovered near the reserve from which two chicks successfully fledged. It is estimated that the population of Great Green Macaws in the Chongón Colonche mountain range consist of as few as 20 individuals, so news of these new chicks offers hope for the future of the population.

The next stage of this project involves the purchase of more degraded habitat with support from IUCN-NL and current fundraising efforts by WLT-US. The newly purchased land will then be restored with funds from WLT.

Learn more about WLT's reforestation project on Carbonbalanced.org »

Labels: Ecuador

| Permanent location of this post | Read comments (1) |

Share this post with your friends

Friday, 5 March 2010:

Shade-grown coffee, cabin construction and giant earthworms at Candelaria Reserve (Ecuador) 

World Land Trust (WLT) Ecuadorian partners Fundación EcoMinga have been working hard on the Candelaria Reserve, where they have been initiating new projects and discovering new species behaviour.

Image of a caecilian attempting to eat a giant earthworm, taken by Luis Recalde, one of EcoMinga's park guards. Click on the photo to see a larger version.

Publicity for animal behaviour new to science

EcoMinga park guard, Luis Recalde, has had this image of a caecilian (a type of amphibian with no legs) attempting to eat a 1 metre long earthworm published in BBC Wildlife Magazine. The picture was taken on the Candelaria Reserve, which protects forests in the Eastern Andes. The park guards have been given digital cameras, a valuable tool in their work, as it allows them to capture images of rarely seen species and to document behaviour new to science, such as shown in this picture.

Lou Jost of Fundación EcoMinga tells of the excitement that the story was published in BBC Wildlife: "Luis will be thrilled, and it will motivate all our guards to do more". World Land Trust will be sending the guards some copies of magazine featuring the story.

Organic Shade-Grown Coffee Project

EcoMinga aim to manage their forest sustainably and are making progress on the project to grow organic shade-grown coffee. They are currently developing a seed nursery to grow selected coffee strains, which they will plant themselves and also sell to other growers. The coffee strains used are able to grow within the forest making this an ideal crop for this area. Their first buyer will purchase 1,000 seedlings which will cover their expenses on the nursery.

Cabins for guards and visitors

Further developments are planned for the reserve with the addition of cabins. These will be situated deep within the reserve and will give the guards a more prominent presence to ensure efficient protection. They may also be used for visitors and researchers.

Valuable work recognised

Reserve Manager Juan Pablo Reyes has been recognised for his scientific achievements and has been awarded a medal by the local town of Baños.

EcoMinga urgently require funds for the management of this reserve to allow the guards to continue their work in protecting this valuable habitat forever.

Learn more about the Ecuador Rainforest Project and how you can help »

Labels: Ecuador

| Permanent location of this post | Read comments (0) |

Share this post with your friends

Friday, 8 January 2010:

In search of an ancient and remarkable tree (Ecuador) 

Dr Nigel Simpson is a Trustee of the World Land Trust (WLT) and co-founder of Fundación EcoMinga and Fundación Jocotoco, two of WLT's Ecuadorian project partners. When colleagues at Fundación EcoMinga informed Nigel of a giant ancient tree found on the Candelaria Reserve, he and other members of the Foundation set out on an expedition to find this amazing tree. Here is Nigel's account of the trip.

As most expeditions do, ours began with breakfast. Lou Jost, of Fundación Ecominga, Juan Pablo Reyes who is part time manager for Fundación Ecominga and I were meeting up to start an adventure into the depths of the Candelaria Reserve in search of a spectacular tree which we had only heard about third hand. Juan Pablo is a keen herpetologist and conservationist, and participant in a program to census and protect the globally endangered Mountain Tapir in and around Sangay National Park.

After breakfast the three of us drove for about fifteen minutes down the valley of the Pastaza, past the hydro-plant, through the tunnels to the village of El Placer, where the Recalde family lives. The Recalde family was the original owner of the Cerro Candelaria Reserve, and three of the younger family members - Luis and Fausto Recalde, and Israel Valencia are now the guardeparques (park guards) for Ecominga and were joining us on our expedition.

We left our truck behind, gathered up our rucksacks and camping gear, and descended the steep side of the gorge of the river to cross the suspension footbridge. Here the water volume is reduced to about a quarter as the rest is underneath in tunnels generating electricity. The sides of the gorge reveal lava flows created by Tungurahua volcano in a very active phase about 300,000 years ago. This particular morning the influence of the volcano was limited to a few deposits of ash on the leaves of bushes along the trail.

It was a three hour walk along a slowly ascending trail through a mixture of orchards, pastures and then secondary forests to our first stop at the wooden cabin which the family uses as a base for farming. Two-metre long plants of the orchid Sobralia luerorum arched over the trail.

The gorge of the Río Pastaza with exposed lavas from ancient eruptions; a group of children greeted us at the edge of the suspension bridge; Sobralia luerorum named after two distinguished orchidologists.

A snack for lunch was prepared in the cabin, during a rainy spell, before we continued further along the trail to enter the reserve where temperate cloud forest was predominant. A cable remained stretched across a valley, left over from timber extraction many years ago.

Our team on the trail, and lunch in the cabin.

A young Black and Chestnut Eagle by Luis Ricalde.

After walking another hour along the trail (which had been very well constructed by our companions) we reached our campsite in an area of beautiful pristine rainforest in the deep valley of the Río Chinchín Grande. We heard a bird of prey calling from the forest - it was an immature Black and Chestnut Eagle, the same bird which a couple of weeks before Luis had been able to approach and obtain a superb photo. We also encountered three examples of the new Blakea tree species which Lou had discovered a year earlier and is now named after Sir David Attenborough.

Lou and I camped overnight while Juan Pablo returned to Baños to meet a group who were starting the Mountain Tapir census, and the Recalde family returned to their cabin to overnight there. After putting up our tents, Lou and I climbed up a steep trail above the campsite for about an hour to sample the forest. This trail provides access to the páramo on the summit ridge 1900m above and another two or three more hours hike away.

We returned to our tents for a dinner of bread rolls, cheese and salami, nuts and yoghurt and promptly fell sound asleep to the forest's night noises of frogs, drips and falling leaves from the trees, an occasional owl, and the rushing water in the Río Chinchín.

Our campsite in the Cerro Candelaria forest, and views of the Río Chinchín Grande nearby.

Bright and early the next morning we set of on what was the main objective of expedition: to try and find this magnificent tree that we had been told about. Colleagues said it was an ancient 'Cedro' towering above the main canopy of the forest. Our route lay further upstream along the gorge of the Chinchín, but we were unsure of the distance as one source had told us it was a half hour hike and the other had said a good two hours! If is was much more than two hours I doubted my ability to get there and back along the very steep terrain, and then return from the campsite back to the road at El Placer.

The weather was perfect - cool, dry and cloudy - when we set off along the simple track which our guards had cut into the side of the gorge. After an hour of climbing and crossing two stream valleys we had noticed large emergent trees on the mountainside opposite and above us, but we had not encountered anything similar on our side. A large waterfall which we crossed had an Andean Dipper perched halfway up it. A Black-billed Mountain-Toucan and a Highland Motmot called from the canopy, and an unidentified Guan flew away. Then twenty minutes later there it was, unmistakably, about thirty metres in front of us.

Views of the remarkable Cedro tree in Candelaria.


A similar forest giant emerging from the canopy on the opposite side of the valley.

Considering the location - on a steep (greater than 45 degree) slope, very heavy rainfall (about 5 metres a year), and very prone to earth tremors and landslides - it was quite astonishing that the tree could have survived for the several hundred years needed to reach this size. It was over two metres diameter at its base, we measured (with difficulty) about 5.5 metres circumference at chest height, and the height was somewhere between 50 and 70 metres. It was difficult to get a clear sighting of the top as it broke into multiple branches, and the steep rough terrain and surrounding trees prevented our getting a clear view. The roots at the base were wrapped around a large rock. This may have improved its stability.

Usually in this type of forest, the large trees will topple down slope before they reach maturity. We noticed a serious landslide immediately above the tree, containing a couple of fairly large fallen trunks but it stopped short of the mound from which the tree emerged.

Trees of this stature are rare in montane cloud forest. Few locations in the Andes have escaped the effects of clearance or selective felling. We also noticed several large Podocarpus sp trees, another genus highly prized for its timber. It was a majestic sight, made all the better by the effort of getting there.

The páramo and summit of Cerro Candelaria - 3,800 metres above sea level.

After many photographs - none of which could do justice to this giant, we returned along the gorge to our camp where Luis and Juan Pablo were awaiting us with a lunch. We then hiked back to El Placer, the weather continuing to be perfect - no burning sun and no rain. En route we met up with Señor Ricalde sr and his daughter at the cabin. They had been planting trees in an old pasture, as part of a reforestation project.

Back in the modern world, a mobile phone call summoned a taxi to return us to Baños. The volcano Tungurahua was now erupting spectacularly about once every 5 to 10 minutes. At dawn the next morning, the indefatigable Juan Pablo would be climbing up to the páramo on Candelaria to begin the census of the Mountain Tapirs.

Labels: Ecuador

| Permanent location of this post | Read comments (0) |

Share this post with your friends

Wednesday, 9 December 2009:

World's smallest orchid discovered in World Land Trust supported reserve (Ecuador) 

A new species or orchid with flowers measuring just over 2mm across has been discovered in Cerro Candelaria Reserve, Ecuador.

The newly discovered orchid. Note the ruler at the top of the photo, showing just how tiny this plant is. The space between each vertical line is one millimetre. Click on the photo to see a larger version. Photo © Lou Jost/EcoMinga.


Three orchids that are found only in the Río Zuñac Basin: Lepanthes spruceana, Lepanthes sp. nov. and Lepanthes zunagensis. Click on the photo to see a larger version. Photo © Lou Jost/EcoMinga.

The tiny orchid, which is of the Platystele genus, was discovered by botanist Lou Jost among the roots of a much larger orchid previously collected in the reserve. The orchid's flowers are so small that its petals are just one cell thick and almost completely transparent.

Protecting orchids in Ecuador

Cerro Candelaria: A unique location for orchids

Cerro Candelaria Reserve is a 6,793 acre (2,750 hectare) reserve owned and managed by World Land Trust project partners Fundación EcoMinga. The reserve protects virgin Cloud Forest that contains a unique diversity of endemic orchids. The area is known for the high number of species of orchids of the genus Teagueia that have evolved in the region.

Río Zuñac: Reserve extension gives further protection for orchids

Río Zuñac is another of EcoMinga's reserves and also located in a centre of plant endemism; the Río Topo-Río Zuñac side valley of the Upper Río Pastaza Watershed. At least 20 species are unique to the area where the 144 hectare reserve is situated. The World Land Trust supported the purchase of a strategic 50 hectare property in 2008 and now the reserve will be extended by a further 150 hectares, thanks to a grant from IUCN-Netherlands.

Viscaya: a new reserve saved from logging

EcoMinga has successfully purchased "Viscaya", a 40 hectare property named after the local community. Located adjacent to the Llanganates National Park, Viscaya is a region of considerable biodiversity value: the primary forest the property supports contains unique endemic orchids and other plants that are absent from other reserves owned and managed by EcoMinga. The purchase was of utmost urgency as a logging company had also expressed interest in the property.

More information

To learn more about how WLT and EcoMinga are protecting orchids and other plant and animal species in Ecuador and how you can support the reserves, see our projects pages Help Save Rainforests in Ecuador.

The discovery of the new orchid species gained widespread media coverage, being featured in among others The Independent, National Geographic, The Telegraph and BBC Radio.

For more information on the species radiation of the Teagueia orchids in Cerro Candelaria, see the article Teagueia Explosion! on the website of Lou Jost.

Labels: Ecuador

| Permanent location of this post | Read comments (0) |

Share this post with your friends

Friday, 27 November 2009:

Top predator visits feeding stations in Yanacocha Reserve, Ecuador 

Food put out for Condors at the Yanacocha Reserve, which is owned and managed by World Land Trust's Ecuadorian partners Fundación Jocotoco, is also benefitting other species such as Puma.

Remote camera traps images show an Andean Condor, Caranculated Caracara and Puma benefitting from the feeding stations in Yanacocha. Click on the images to see larger versions.

The Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus) is the National Bird of Ecuador and is one of the largest flying birds in the world with a wingspan of up to 3.2m. This species is declining at an alarming rate and their survival is not helped by the fact that they mate for life and have a low reproductive rate.

The Condor is currently listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN Red List and over the last 15 years numbers in Ecuador appear to have halved from 50-60 pairs to perhaps 23-30 pairs throughout the whole country. As well as the factors mentioned above, the main causes of their decline are persecution by humans, habitat fragmentation and lack of food.

Condors visiting the Yanacocha Reserve on Pichincha Volcano are part of the group which ranges between the three great volcanoes Cayambe, Antisana, and Cotopaxi. They are being fed at a safe and protected site at over 4000m in the reserve, at which an automatic camera trap is providing some vivid images. Resulting photographs taken by the cameras have shown that these feeding sites are also being visited by other predators on the reserve.

Occasionally the local indigenous community at Yanacocha village are able to provide carrion for the feeding tables. The supply of suitable carrion for vultures is crucial for their survival in the modern world. A recent European law requiring that all dead cattle etc must be removed and buried has had a devastating effect on Griffon and other Vulture populations in Europe, and now thankfully has been rescinded in highland areas such as the Pyrenees where carrion was a necessary food source.

Camera trap pictures show the Puma, Andean Wolf and the Carunculated Caracara (a member of the falcon family) are also benefiting from the supplementary feeding. Although the Puma is classed as of Least Concern by the IUCN Red List and is one of the most adaptable wide ranging terrestrial species, many populations are declining due to habitat loss and persecution. World Land Trust is pleased to see Yanacocha protecting the habitat of Pumas and it is wonderful news that they are taking advantage of the feeding stations.

The Yanacocha reserve was originally created to protect the habitat of the Black-breasted Puffleg, a critically endangered hummingbird, now adopted as the emblem of Quito. However, the presence of large predators on the reserve demonstrates just how important it is to save large areas of natural habitat in order to conserve the whole biodiversity of a region.

To learn more about the Yanacocha Reserve and the other areas supported by the conservation project in Ecuador, and to help save more wildlife habitats in the project area, see Help Save Rainforests in Ecuador.

Labels: Ecuador

| Permanent location of this post | Read comments (0) |

Share this post with your friends

Thursday, 27 August 2009:

Parakeets doing well at Tapichalaca Reserve (Ecuador) 

Artificial nest boxes erected on the Tapichalaca Reserve, have proved highly successful for White-breasted Parakeets (Pyrrhura albipectus) and Golden-plumed Parakeets (Leptosittaca branickii).

Top: Adult White-breasted Parakeet; Middle: Two of its chicks in a nest box; Above: Researcher Mery Juiña with two Golden-plumed Parakeet chicks. Click on the images to see larger versions.

During a monitoring visit in April, Mery Juiña, researcher at the reserve confirmed that both species of parrots were nesting successfully in the nest boxes, put up specifically for White-breasted Parakeets in 2007 and for Golden-plumed Parakeets in 2008.

The parrots started by using the boxes for roosting, but more recent visits have established that some of the boxes are now being used as nest sites.

The Golden-plumed Parakeets are doing particularly well, with 10 out of 18 artificial nest boxes containing eggs or chicks when monitored.

That the artificial nest boxes are being used is great news as both species of parakeets are considered endangered and at risk of extinction both in Ecuador and worldwide.

Tapichalaca Reserve is owned and managed by World Land Trust partners Fundación Jocotoco and supported by the Trust through the Tropical Forest Project.

Labels: Ecuador

| Permanent location of this post | Read comments (0) |

Share this post with your friends

Wednesday, 1 April 2009:

Jocotoco Antpittas increase in Tapichalaca (Ecuador) 

The endangered Jocotoco Antpitta (Grallaria ridgelyi) was first discovered in Ecuador in 1997. Tapichalaca Reserve, owned and managed by World Land Trust partners Fundación Jocotoco, was set up specifically to protect the discovery site of the Jocotoco Antpitta. With protection, numbers of this antpitta have gradually increased, but so have visitor numbers.

All four of the young Jocotoco Antpittas. Top: Two birds almost in adult plumage. Middle: At a few months old. Above: The recently discovered nestling, just before it left the nest. Click on the images to see larger versions. Photos © Francisco Sornoza/Fundación Jocotoco

In order to limit disturbance of the antpitta's habitat, one pair has been fed regularly with worms by reserve warden Franco Mendoza. Visitors have been able to enjoy close views of this reclusive species without the use of tape recordings, which are otherwise commonly used to attract birds. Thanks to the abundance of food the antpittas have bred rapidly, with three young birds appearing in sequence at 3 or 4 month intervals. In November a fourth nestling was spotted, and this led to the discovery of the nest - the first one found after ten years of searching.

The feeding site is also regularly used by Chestnut-naped Antpittas, and by the very rare Andean Coati, related to racoons.

Learn more about the Jocotoco Antpitta »

Learn more about the Tapichalaca Reserve in Ecuador »

Summary report for 2008 from Fundación Jocotoco (pdf, 450KB, opens in new window)

You will need Adobe Reader to open the report. Adobe Reader is free and can be downloaded from Adobe, below.

Get Adobe Reader (opens in new window)

Labels: Ecuador

| Permanent location of this post | Read comments (0) |

Share this post with your friends

Friday, 6 February 2009:

First video of Banded Ground Cuckoo (Ecuador) 

Screenshot from the video. Watch the the Banded Ground cuckoo video on YouTube.

The first video of the Banded Ground Cuckoo (Neomorphus radiolosus) has been recorded in Río Canandé Reserve in Ecuador. The short clip was recorded by Ron Hoff, whilst in the Word Land Trust (WLT) supported reserve with Mindo Bird Tours.

The Banded Ground Cuckoo occurs in Colombia as well as Ecuador where it lives in wet foothill forests. Although the bird makes use of secondary vegetation, it seems that the species depends on primary forests, which are rapidly disappearing or becoming degraded. This habitat loss is the reason the Banded Ground Cuckoo is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. However, at Canandé the Banded Ground Cuckoo and other species are protected thanks to WLT's project partners Fundación Jocotoco, who own and manage this reserve.

Learn more about the Canandé Reserve in Ecuador »

Labels: Ecuador

| Permanent location of this post | Read comments (0) |

Share this post with your friends

Tuesday, 3 February 2009:

Progress in the endangered Amazon cloud forests (Ecuador) 

Young River Otter in the Río Zuñac (top) and the new Blakea tree species (above). Click on the images to see larger versions. Photos by Israel Valencia and Lou Jost respectively.

Some of the world's most diverse and also most endangered cloud forests exist on the western edge of the Amazon Basin in Ecuador. It is here that World Land Trust (WLT) partners Fundación EcoMinga are working to establish ecological reserves. EcoMinga have just published a progress report outlining the achievements of last year. These include:

• Cerro Candelaria Reserve grew by 538 ha and now covers more than 2600 ha. It was in this reserve a new tree species was discovered a year ago. This tree is so far known only from this reserve and is being named in honor of Sir David Attenborough, Patron of the World Land Trust.
• A 347 ha sector named Brand Stand Forest was established close to the Candelaria Reserve, thanks to a donation to WLT by corporate supporters Brand Stand (through their Organic Meltdown chocolate).
• The Río Zuñac Reserve grew thanks to several purchases and is now 144 ha. Supporters from the WLT, in particular Dr. McWilliam, and WLT-US funded some of these purchases.
• There are now four reserve caretakers working full time in the reserves, who not only make sure that nobody hunts or cuts trees, but who also photograph and learn about the wildlife and act as ambassadors in their communities.

You can read the full progress report on the EcoMinga website (pdf, 1.48MB, opens in new window)

You will need Adobe Reader to open the report. Adobe Reader is free and can be downloaded from Adobe, below.

Get Adobe Reader (opens in new window)

Labels: Ecuador

| Permanent location of this post | Read comments (1) |

Share this post with your friends

Thursday, 4 December 2008:

Carbon offsetting and tree planting restores over 460 ha of degraded habitat 

Javier Robaio tending to tree saplings in a nursery (top) at Buenaventura Reserve, Ecuador. (See a larger image of the forest at Buenaventura.) Photos by Renton Righelato

2008 has been another successful year for the World Land Trust's carbon offsetting and tree-planting initiatives. Under WLT's tree planting agreement with Scottish and Southern Energy our project partners in Ecuador, Brazil and Paraguay have planted an impressive 410,500 trees, that's over 1,100 trees a day! The planting has restored some 410 hectares of degraded habitat which extends and buffers existing reserves and helps to further protect endangered species such as the Great Green Macaw and El Oro Parakeet.

Carbon offset funds raised through the Carbon Balanced programme have enabled the purchase, protection and restoration of 58 hectares of threatened land in Ecuador and Mexico. Our Mexican project partner, Grupo Ecologica Sierra Gorda, has developed an incentive scheme to deliver their offsets, paying small-scale landowners to plant up cleared land. This not only provides benefits for climate change, biodiversity and watershed protection but also a valuable income source for an impoverished Mexican community.

We should all be doing what we can to reduce the emissions that we are responsible for. To this end the Carbon Balanced website has a page with links to useful energy reduction advice and greener living sites. When you have done what you can to reduce your carbon emissions, please support WLT's vital habitat restoration work: Calculate and offset your unavoidable emissions with Carbon Balanced.

Labels: Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay

| Permanent location of this post | Read comments (0) |

Share this post with your friends

Monday, 27 October 2008:

A New Cat Species for Fundación Jocotoco? (Ecuador) 

See a larger image of the wild cat photo here.

The photograph of the wild cat on the right was taken by Aldo Sornoza of Fundación Jocotoco (FJ), who was helping with the construction of the new visitors' lodge on the Jorupe Reserve, Ecuador. It is thought to be a new species of cat, still to be described, which was first seen two years ago in Peru. The Jorupe Reserve, owned and managed by the World Land Trust's partners FJ, is close to the border with Peru and this would be the first known sighting in Ecuador.

If not a new species, the only other cat it could possibly be is an Andean Cat (Oreailurus jacobita), one of the rarest of all the cat species, about which very little is known. Over the last 25 years there have been fewer than 10 documented sightings. Lou Jost, of Fundación EcoMinga, also an Ecuadorian partner of the WLT, is lucky enough to have seen the Andean Cat, not just once but twice. When presented with this photo, Lou commented:

"The ground color is very similar. However I didn't see any strong patterns on the legs, like this one has, though I would not have seen that from the angles I had (just the back and sides of the animal running through dense vegetation, both times). The elevations of my sightings were very high, around 2800-3000 m, and very wet, completely different from Jorupe. I could easily imagine that there is a new species of cat endemic to the Tumbesian zone of SW Ecuador and NW Peru."

We are awaiting with anticipation further news on this sighting.

Learn more about WLT's Tropical Forest Project in Ecuador.

Labels: Ecuador

| Permanent location of this post | Read comments (0) |

Share this post with your friends

Tuesday, 23 September 2008:

Four new species of frog and other news from Fundación EcoMinga (Ecuador) 

Top: The four new species of frogs discovered in the EcoMinga reserves. Above: The colourful underside of the frog second from the top. Photos by Juan Pablo Reyes (Click on the images to see larger versions.)

Herpetologists from the Museo Ecuatoriano de Ciencias Naturales (Ecuadorian Museum of Natural Sciences) have been surveying EcoMinga's reserves and have discovered four apparently new species of frogs in and around the reserves. They estimate that the total number of frog species in the Cerro Candelaria Reserve (EcoMinga's largest reserve, bought with major individual and corporate donations to the World Land Trust) is around forty. This is good news in a world where most news about frogs is very depressing.

The herpetologists were especially thrilled to find a surviving population of a harlequin frog (Atelopus palmatus) that was thought to be extinct; this was found near EcoMinga's Rio Zuñac reserve. Their investigations of EcoMinga's reserves were funded by WLT trustee Nigel Simpson.

Andrew Smiley from WLT visited the Candelaria Reserve in May to investigate the possibility of involving the reserve's neighbours in organic shade-grown coffee, which can be grown under a canopy of native trees. If agreement can be reached the coffee would be sold directly to Puro Coffee for their premium organic "bird-friendly" brands. This would improve the lives of local farmers and result in reforestation of current pasturelands.

Meanwhile, reforestation continues on former pastures along the edge of the Cerro Candelaria reserve. EcoMinga personnel are rapidly learning how to reconstruct a natural forest of high diversity in these former pastures. Over one thousand trees have now been planted.

Report from Lou Jost, Fundación EcoMinga

Labels: Ecuador

| Permanent location of this post | Read comments (0) |

Share this post with your friends

Thursday, 17 July 2008:

Threatened White-breasted Parakeet gets helping hand at Tapichalaca (Ecuador) 

The White-breasted Parakeet (Pyrrhura albipectus)

Also known as the White-necked Parakeet, this species is only known to occur in three areas in south-east (Amazonia) Ecuador, of which Podocarpus National Park is one of its last strongholds. Fundación Jocotoco's Tapichalaca Reserve, which abuts Podocarpus, has a small population, in recently acquired low altitude land, and since the species' total population is estimated to be only a few thousand individuals, FJ has just started a project in an effort to boost numbers on the reserve.

As a follow-up to the successful nest-box project for the El-Oro Parakeet on the Buenaventura Reserve, nest boxes are to be installed at Tapichalaca for the White-breasted Parakeet. The design of these boxes has been greatly assisted by cooperation with Pro Aves Colombia, and the Loro Parque Foundation of Spain is generously funding the work.

Two years there were reports of a small flock being recorded just across the border in Peru, but was apparently unfortunately collected in the name of science. The collecting of species already declared globally threatened is something we do not condone since accurate identification, and recording, can now be carried out using latest photographic technology.

Learn more about the Tropical Forest Project in Ecuador, through which the World Land Trust supports Fundación Jocotoco's reserves

Labels: Ecuador

| Permanent location of this post | Read comments (0) |

Share this post with your friends

Tuesday, 1 July 2008:

New land purchases in Brazil (Matumbo Gap) and Ecuador (Cerro Candelaria) 

In the recent eBulletin, two new land purchases were announced: A further 4 properties in the 'Matumbo Gap' have been purchased by REGUA, WLT's partners in Brazil. In Ecuador, Fundación Ecominga has secured a further 400 hectares of land, which means that the river that passes through the Cerro Candelaria Reserve will now be protected on both banks.

Labels: Brazil, Ecuador

| Permanent location of this post | Read comments (0) |

Share this post with your friends

Wednesday, 30 April 2008:

Ecuador's Minister of Tourism visits Buenaventura Reserve (Ecuador) 

Recognising the wealth of wildlife protected by Fundación Jocotoco Reserves, Ecuador's Minister of Tourism, Veronica Sion de Josse, together with her husband and son, recently visited the Buenaventura Reserve.

This year's tree planting activities are in full swing at the reserve and as well as helping plant some tree seedlings, the minister and her family were captivated by the webcam, strategically placed in front of a hummingbird feeder. As can be seen in the photo, the visitors enjoyed watching not only the multitude of birds coming to the feeders but also a group of coatis, who frequently turn up to feast on bananas and other fruit.

See the hummingbird webcam in action

Learn more about the Buenaventura Reserve

Labels: Ecuador

| Permanent location of this post | Read comments (0) |

Share this post with your friends

Tuesday, 29 April 2008:

A visit to two totally different potential reserve sites in Ecuador 

The Ayampe River valley (top), home of the Esmeraldas Woodstar hummingbird (above). Click on the images to see larger versions.


The Northern Ghost Bat, about which little is known. Click on the image to see a larger version.


Andean Fox (also known as the Paramo Wolf) in Antisana. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Last month the World Land Trust's Chairman, Renton Righelato, made a self-funded trip to Ecuador to join representatives of Fundación Jocotoco exploring two potential new reserve sites.

"Ecuador is remarkable in the diversity of its natural habitats and the range of species they contain - this is why it is such an important area for the World Land Trust. In February, Nigel Simpson and I were lucky enough to be part of a team from our Ecuadorean partner, Fundación Jocotoco, exploring two, wholly different, potential new reserve sites: Ayampe, warm and at sea level; and Antisana, at 4,000-6,000 metres and cold!"

"Near the settlement of Ayampe in the warm, semi-arid, Tumbesian region, where the River Ayampe enters the Pacific, is a pocket of more humid forest. It is one of two known sites of an endangered and virtually unknown hummingbird - the Esmeraldas Woodstar - a bird not much bigger than a bumble bee. Here we saw a male displaying by towering from its treetop perch out of sight in the sky and diving back down to a nearby female, who is then left to do everything else, nest-building, incubating and feeding the young, on her own. It was reassuring to see several nests, some with eggs and one with a tiny chick. The Jocotoco researchers will be returning later in the year to learn more of the life history of this species and work out how best to protect it."

"There were bigger things to see as well - including parties of Magnificent Frigate Birds soaring over and the remarkable Ghost Bat pictured here."

"In contrast, the paramo on the slopes of the high volcanoes of Ecuador is cold and wet. Like alpine meadows, unspoilt paramo is a rich mixture of plants with many beautiful flowers; but years of overgrazing and drainage have degraded much of it and plantation of foreign pine defaced it."

"Antisana is home to some of the few remaining Great Condors of Ecuador, which can occasionally be seen feeding on carcases of dead animals, along with the beautiful Paramo Wolf (really a large fox), shown here."

"The prospect of protecting and restoring up to 100,000 hectares of paramo and of polylepis forest of the lower slopes of one of the great volcanoes could not be more exciting - we await further news from Fundación Jocotoco."

Learn more about the Tropical Forest Project in Ecuador and the reserves protected by Fundación Jocotoco.

Labels: Ecuador

| Permanent location of this post | Read comments (0) |

Share this post with your friends

Monday, 28 April 2008:

John Sparks visits the Jocotoco Foundation's reserves in Ecuador 

John (in the foreground) and Sally meeting with the Jocotoco Foundation at Tapichalaca Reserve. In the background, from left: Niels Krabbe (ornithologist) and Rene Rivas (Forester at the Foundation) .


While at the Tapichalaca Reserve, John Sparks had good views of the Jocotoco Antpitta and took various pictures, including this one, which appears in his account of the trip.

Former Head of BBC Natural History Unit, Dr John Sparks has been a friend of the World Land Trust for a long time. He has travelled all over the world making wildlife films, including five of Sir David Attenborough's Life on Earth programmes.

In January John, and his wife, Sally, visited Ecuador and spent time at two of the reserves owned and managed by WLT's Ecuadorian partners, the Jocotoco Foundation: Buenaventura and Tapichalaca. He has recently posted a wonderfully illustrated account of his visit on his website.

Amongst the birds John saw was the endangered Jocotoco Antpitta. Here is an extract of John's account of meeting these birds, sometimes described as 'melons with pogo-stick legs':

"Franco duly sliced up the long, juicy forest worms and called the Antpittas. They needed no encouragement because within a minute or two, we got our first view of these secretive, groundliving birds."

"The adults were recognisable by their very white cheeks - the immatures were less distinctly marked. One juvenile was 7 months old and another only about one month. It is thought that in this species, the older young help their parents to rear their younger siblings. If so, I might have obtained some proof of this trait because I managed to obtain some shots of the two youngest birds in deep cover by changing the sensitivity of the camera to 1600ASA (no flash equipment is allowed on this site)."

Read the full account, visit John Sparks' website. (Choose the pdf document named "Two Rain Forests".)

Labels: Ecuador

| Permanent location of this post | Read comments (0) |

Share this post with your friends

First camera trap photo of Mountain Tapir (Ecuador) 

This is the first camera trap photograph of a Mountain Tapir taken at Tapichalaca, although they are occasionally seen.

The tapir is the largest native mammal in South America and is classed are Endangered. They weigh up to 300 kilos and measure approx 2 m from snout to tail, however they are relatively short in height standing at about 1.2 metres at the shoulder. An unusual feature of the tapir is its toed, or 'split' hoof, which spreads to form toes: four on the front and three on the back.

Learn more about the Tropical Forest Project in Ecuador

Labels: Ecuador

| Permanent location of this post | Read comments (0) |

Share this post with your friends

Friday, 29 February 2008:

New land purchases in Ecuador and Paraguay 

New land has been bought in Ecuador adjacent to Yanacocha (top), and in Paraguay in San Rafael (middle) and in the Dry Chaco (bottom). (Click on the images to see larger versions.)

88 hectares in Ecuador:

World Land Trust project partners in Ecuador, Fundación Jocotoco, have recently purchased a strategic piece of land to expand their reserve at Yanacocha. This 88 hectare area is situated in high altitude Polylepis forest, a habitat type which is seriously depleted throughout the Andes.

The purchase was vital as the land was likely to be developed if it had not been secured by Jocotoco.

The land is targeted for tree planting to restore the forest that has been lost and will guarantee employment for Jocotoco staff for an additional two years.

600 hectares in San Rafael, Paraguay:

In Paraguay, WLT partner organisation Guyra Paraguay have managed to add more land to two of their reserves; San Rafael and the Dry Chaco.

The purchase of 600 hectares adjacent to Guyra's core reserve area in San Rafael National Park means that they now manage and protect 6,600 hectares of endangered Atlantic Rainforest in the south-east of Paraguay.

The demonstrable support from WLT donors has enabled matched funding from two US foundations: WLT-US and American Bird Conservancy. With continued commitment from WLT Guyra aims to secure more habitat as well as continuing to carry out forest restoration and research.

3,500 hectares in the Chaco, Paraguay:

Guyra recently secured 3,500 hectares of threatened arid habitat in the northwest of Paraguay - their first purchase in this region. The next phase of Guyra's project in the Dry Chaco is the purchase of 3,000 hectares with the overall aim to eventually secure 13,000 hectares in total.

The Dry Chaco is an extremely vulnerable ecosystem and is disappearing at an alarming rate. As well as being overwhelmed by agricultural expansion the Dry Chaco is particularly vulnerable to disturbance.

John Burton, WLT CEO, visited the Dry Chaco recently and he says "it was astounding how the tracks of tanks used in the Chaco War in the 1930s were still visible - the habitat is so fragile it can take a century or more to regenerate."

Please help us save this unique habitat:
Make a donation to the Chaco/Pantanal Project.

Learn more about WLT's projects in Ecuador and Paraguay:

• Help Save the Rainforests: Tropical Forest Project, Ecuador
• Saving the Paraguayan Landscapes: Chaco/Pantanal Project, Paraguay

Edit 3rd March: The recent purchase in the Dry Chaco was for 3,500 ha, not 350 ha as previously stated, and the next purchase is for 3,000 ha, not 300 ha.

Labels: Ecuador, Paraguay

| Permanent location of this post | Read comments (0) |

Share this post with your friends