We are delighted to announce that our conservation partner Fundación Ecominga (EcoMinga’s) Río Manduriacu Reserve has been officially declared a Wildlife Refuge.
This designation – granted by Ecuador’s Ministry of Environment, Water, and Ecological Transition (MAATE) – incorporates the reserve into the country’s National System of Protected Areas (SNAP). Not only is this an official recognition of the reserve’s critical role in global biodiversity conservation, but it is also a vital step in bringing even stronger protection to this extraordinary cloud forest.
This announcement comes just months after EcoMinga’s Río Machay Reserve was designated as a Wildlife Refuge in August — a powerful endorsement of our partner’s conservation leadership in the region.
“This declaration is more than a legal document – it is the recognition of a landscape that has resisted mining, deforestation, and abandonment.
It is the home of Jaguars, of Spectacled Bears, and of monkeys that announce the rain. It is the refuge of tiny frogs and orchids on the edge of extinction and the only home of Magnolia chiguila, which blooms only here, in its single corner of the world. This recognition symbolizes the hope that science and community can walk together to protect what cannot be replaced.” Javier Robayo, EcoMinga’s Executive Director.
Río Manduriacu Reserve seen from a distance – a rich world teeming with life. Credit: Sebastian Kohn
A haven for extraordinary wildlife
Established to safeguard the last known population of the Critically Endangered Tandayapa Andes Toad (Rhaebo olallai), the reserve has since revealed multiple species new to science — including amphibians, orchids, small mammals, and magnolias — many of them endemic to this single region of cloud forest. This includes nine species of glass frog, more than in any other of EcoMinga’s reserves.
Meet Nymphargus balionotus: a “lost species” thought extinct for the last 15 years before its rediscovery in the Río Manduriacu Reserve – its populations healthy and thriving. Credit: Jaime Culebras
A testament to your support
Río Manduriacu first grew with support from IUCN Netherlands, and was later expanded through World Land Trust (WLT), with critical long-term backing from WLT corporate supporter Puro Coffee, who helped protect an additional 163 hectares (403 acres) in 2020.
Today, thanks to continued support, this unique forest is officially recognised, legally protected, and better defended for the future.
Your contribution doesn’t end with land purchase – it sets long-lasting protection in motion.
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