The Ecuador Rainforests
The Ecuador Rainforests Project helps safeguard diverse wildlife in an area where over 80% of the tropical rainforests have already been destroyed, leaving many species globally threatened.
Find out how the WLT is saving rainforests in Ecuador...
Project Aim
The Ecuador Rainforests project aims to purchase and protect some of Ecuador's most threatened and biodiverse forests for conservation and management by WLT's partners.
The project safeguards critically important habitats for many of Ecuador's rarest bird species, as well as a wide variety of other animals such as Jaguar and Howler Monkey.
Partners:
Fundación Jocotoco »
Fundación EcoMinga »
Fundación Pro-Bosque »
Nature and Culture International (NCI) »
Other projects in Ecuador:
How the WLT is helping
WLT has already helped all four or our partners in Ecuador save thousands of acres of tropical forests and other vital habitats that are now protected as nature reserves. This is providing a safe haven for a wealth of wildlife – from the Spectacled Bear to the Jaguar.
Urgent funding needed
WLT is funding more land purchase in Ecuador through the Buy an Acre fund, helping all four partners create new nature reserves or extend existing ones.
This successful expansion of reserves means our partners need greater support in ensuring the protection of the nature reserves and all their wildlife. Through the Keepers of the Wild appeal, WLT is putting more rangers in the field to protect the reserves from illegal loggers and hunters.
This combined funding of land purchase and protection with all four of our partners across Ecuador is creating a strong foundation for country-wide conservation success.
Biodiversity
Birds:
Over 1,600 bird species, about 17% of the world's total including the Jocotoco Antpitta (Grallaria ridgelyi) discovered in 1997 in what is now the Tapichalaca reserve.
Mammals:
A wide variety, including Spectacled Bear (Tremarctos ornatus), Woolly Mountain Tapir (Tapirus pinchaque), Two-toed Sloth (Choloepus didactylus), Jaguar (Panthera onca), Ocelot (Leopardis pardalis), Jaguarundi (Puma yagouaroundi) and many bats and monkey species.
Amphibians:
Over 400 amphibian species, including the Tapichalaca treefrog, a new species recently discovered on Fundacion Jocotoco’s Tapichalaca Reserve (purchased with the support of WLT).
Plants:
Well over 16,000 species of plants (25% of which are endemic), including 4,000 species of orchids.
Threats to Ecuador's forests
Very little intact habitat remains, perhaps as little as 10% in the Andean and western coastal provinces of Ecuador, due to relatively high human population density in this area. Ecuador's forests also contain large numbers of endemic species and many are globally threatened.
The reserves
Total acres supported by WLT: 14,412 acres (5833 ha)
With four different partners in Ecuador, WLT has funded many different reserves. Find out more about these reserves on our reserve pages:
Sir David Attenborough, WLT Patron
