We did it! Read our update below to learn how the American Bird Conservancy joined our cause!

We can do it! We can preserve 62 hectares of primary forest with your help.

My name is Sergio Basantes and many of you will have visited our family eco-tourism project, the Mashpi Amagusa Reserve, located in the heart of the Choco-Andino Biosphere near Quito, Ecuador.

I am personally asking for your immediate help to raise $60,000 by August 7 to continue the purchase of 62 hectares (153 acres) of primary forest.

If you have visited, you understand the importance of our reserve and how we protect the land from logging, mining, and cattle farming. What you may not know is that we do not own all of the property where the reserve operates.

A large portion of the reserve, 62 hectares (153 acres), is owned by an association located outside of Pacto. They have allowed us to operate our business for the past decade or so on land that includes ten sources of crystalline water that feed the Mashpi River. It is a very special place, full of waterfalls and birdsong.

This land is home to several species of frogs, including the recently discovered Mashpi Glass Frog, dozens of varieties of beautiful orchids, several species of mammals like the Puma Juagarundi, and 433 species of birds, including the brilliant Glistening Green Tanager, the rare Choco Vireo, and the vulnerable Cloud-forest Pygmy-Owl. Three species are endangered: Banded Ground-cuckoo, Purple-quail Dove, and Baudo Guan.

The association wants to sell the property as soon as possible. Fortunately, they are offering my family an opportunity to purchase the land before it goes on the market.

It's now or never. We raised $20,000 in our first month. We will announce our $40,000 success as soon as donations coming by direct bank transfer arrive (any day now!). Our next goal is to raise $60,000 by August 7, 2023 and $80,000 by World Clean-up Day, September 16, 2023.

WE ARE COUNTING ON YOU!

Your donation makes all the difference.

Gratefully,

Sergio Basantes y mis amigos emplumados (my feathered friends)

My family is very grateful to our friend Vinicio Paz for being the US beneficiary of our campaign. Last year, his family successfully raised $150,000 to save their eco-tourism business, Refugio Paz de las Aves. Currently, they are in the process of registering a non-profit foundation in Ecuador, Fundación Paz de Las Aves, which will focus on land conservation, re-forestation, and environmental education for the broader community, encouraging families working in agriculture to create their own eco-tourism projects.

Thank you to Abby Eaton for our first cover photo, Santiago Salazar for our updated cover photo, Jose Antonio Jaramillo for the bird photography, Javier Amigo for his consistent support, and Angie Drake for the English-language translation & campaign management.