Securing endangered species habitat in Ecuador's cloud forests
EcoMinga Foundation is a non-profit, Ecuadorian non-governmental organization dedicated to the protection of areas with high levels of endemism and biological diversity. The organization achieves this through the creation of a network of private nature reserves focused on the conservation of species that are globally at risk of extinction. Currently, EcoMinga manages 15 reserves totaling over 12,000 hectares across Ecuador's most biodiverse regions, including cloud forests and páramos. EcoMinga's mission is to lead the conservation of endemic and threatened species by creating protected areas based on scientific research, while promoting sustainable development for communities living near these conservation areas.
Project story
In northwestern Ecuador, where the Chocó and Andes meet, some of the most biodiverse forests on Earth are disappearing. These forests shelter species found nowhere else, including the Critically Endangered Manduriacu Glassfrog (Nymphargus manduriacu), the Tandayapa Andean Toad (Rhaebo olallai), Brown-headed Spider Monkeys, jaguars, pumas, Andean bears, and hundreds of orchids, birds, and amphibians.
For more than a decade, Fundación EcoMinga has worked alongside local communities and landowners to protect these forests through the creation and expansion of the Manduriacu Reserve. What began as a shared desire to keep forests standing has grown into a long-term conservation effort that safeguards wildlife habitat, connects protected areas, and protects water sources that support nearby communities.
Today, our greatest challenge is securing the remaining unprotected forests before they are lost to deforestation, mining, and agricultural expansion. Rising land prices and increasing pressure on natural habitats make conservation more urgent than ever.
Funds raised through this campaign will help us acquire and permanently protect critical forest areas, strengthen ranger patrols, support biodiversity monitoring, and restore degraded habitats. Every hectare protected helps secure a future for endangered species, clean water, and the people who depend on these forests.
Together, we can ensure that one of Ecuador’s last great strongholds of Chocó-Andean biodiversity remains standing for generations to come.
Project updates
Team
Securing endangered species habitat in Ecuador's cloud forests
EcoMinga Foundation is a non-profit, Ecuadorian non-governmental organization dedicated to the protection of areas with high levels of endemism and biological diversity. The organization achieves this through the creation of a network of private nature reserves focused on the conservation of species that are globally at risk of extinction. Currently, EcoMinga manages 15 reserves totaling over 12,000 hectares across Ecuador's most biodiverse regions, including cloud forests and páramos. EcoMinga's mission is to lead the conservation of endemic and threatened species by creating protected areas based on scientific research, while promoting sustainable development for communities living near these conservation areas.
Project story
In northwestern Ecuador, where the Chocó and Andes meet, some of the most biodiverse forests on Earth are disappearing. These forests shelter species found nowhere else, including the Critically Endangered Manduriacu Glassfrog (Nymphargus manduriacu), the Tandayapa Andean Toad (Rhaebo olallai), Brown-headed Spider Monkeys, jaguars, pumas, Andean bears, and hundreds of orchids, birds, and amphibians.
For more than a decade, Fundación EcoMinga has worked alongside local communities and landowners to protect these forests through the creation and expansion of the Manduriacu Reserve. What began as a shared desire to keep forests standing has grown into a long-term conservation effort that safeguards wildlife habitat, connects protected areas, and protects water sources that support nearby communities.
Today, our greatest challenge is securing the remaining unprotected forests before they are lost to deforestation, mining, and agricultural expansion. Rising land prices and increasing pressure on natural habitats make conservation more urgent than ever.
Funds raised through this campaign will help us acquire and permanently protect critical forest areas, strengthen ranger patrols, support biodiversity monitoring, and restore degraded habitats. Every hectare protected helps secure a future for endangered species, clean water, and the people who depend on these forests.
Together, we can ensure that one of Ecuador’s last great strongholds of Chocó-Andean biodiversity remains standing for generations to come.
Project updates
Team
Location
Ecuador