Lepanthes lophius, endemic to a small area in eastern Ecuador

EcoMinga intends to efficiently preserve biodiversity by a mixture of innovative and traditional approaches to protect strategic centers of endemism in Ecuador. We also intend to work with local communities and international tourists to raise awareness about the value of Ecuador's biodiversity.

Our first proposal is to protect the rich flora and fauna of the Upper Pastaza Watershed, home of many endemic plants, especially orchids. The main focus at this time is on the slopes of the Cordillera Abitagua, first explored by the great Scottish botanist Richard Spruce, and still an endless source of new discoveries. This area include the Rio Zuñac watershed, on the western slopes of the Cordillera Abitagua, and the very rich low-elevation cloud forest near the town of Mera (Rio Anzu canyon) on the eastern slopes of the Cordillera Abitagua. This area was declared a "Gift to the Earth" by World Wildlife Fund and contains over 100 species of plants not found anywhere else in the world . It also contains Spectacled Bears, Mountain Tapirs, and an enormous bird diversity. It is currently being cut down. For more information on this forest, see www.loujost.com.

This map shows the Upper Pastaza Watershed project area, at the junction between the vast Amazon rainforest and the Andean cloud forests.

This map shows the project area on a map of rainfall in Ecuador. The project area is one of the wettest cloud forests in Ecuador (and the world) and for this reason it is especially diverse in plants.

We have begun to organize the landowners of the Rio Zuñac watershed, with the help of the local community leader, Jorge Tuston. The owners will incorporate their land into a large reserve (over 1000 hectares). In return, EcoMinga will help promote ecotourism to generate income for these landowners, to replace the income they would have received by cutting down the forest and raising cattle. EcoMinga will also help pay for the costs these landowners will incur to obtain full legal title to their land. (Many of the owners do not have legally recognized titles, though their ownership is recognized by the community.) In addition, EcoMinga has bought rights to three tracts of 50 hectares each in the Rio Zuñac watershed, to form a core protected area.

In the Mera area, we have purchased a portion of the spectacular limestone canyon of the Rio Anzu (1200 m), and will work with neighboring owners to create a joint reserve. A portion of the canyon is shown below. This purchase was made with the help of the individual donors listed below, along with the Orchid Conservation Alliance and the CEIBA foundation, who have particular expertise in working with local landowners to achieve conservation goals. We are also purchasing a slightly higher elevation forest (1500m). Both contain very rare plant species that are found nowhere else in the world.

The canyon of the Rio Anzu is a spectacular place with a unique set of plant species, including a new species of orchid found nowhere else in the world.

For more photos of our Rio Anzu Reserve, click here.

The photo below shows the completely deforested mountain outside of Baños, a major tourist town in the Upper Pastaza Watershed, with  a still-forested mountain in the background. If you look closely, you can see that the base of the still-forested mountain is already being cut down. This will be the fate of the whole Upper Pastaza Watershed if nothing is done.