Donation protected
In two weeks I'll be leaving my kids, dogs, and husband behind, boarding a flight from San Francisco to Panama, on to Quito, Ecuador, and finally on to Santa Rosa, a small town in southwest Ecuador. Why? To spend three weeks volunteering with an exceptional organization called Fundacion Jocotoco as part of my grad school global experience volunteer project.
I spent the summer researching the effects of oil drilling in the Ecuadorian Amazon on the environment and the indigenous communities that live there. Unfortunately, I'm unable to travel to the regions I researched due to a highly contentious and dangerous political environment created by oil drilling efforts in the Yasuni National Park. Thankfully I learned about the efforts of Fundacion Jocotoco through the Rainforest Trust and am thrilled to be supporting them in their mission of conservation.
Fundacion Jocotoco is an NGO founded in Ecuador over twenty years ago with the goal of "protecting areas of critical importance for the conservation of endemic and threatened bird species in Ecuador." Since 1998 they have established 14 biological reserves, collectively spanning more than 51,000 acres. The reserves are home to more than 900 species of birds, 50 of which are threatened or near extinction, another 100 of which are endemic. Not into birds? That's okay - these reserves also protect over 200 species of amphibians and reptiles, and rare large mammals such as the spectacled bear, puma, jaguar, mountain tapir and choco tapir, among others.
I'll be heading to the Buenaventura Reserve in the El Oro province (the orange marker on the map below).
The Buenaventura Reserve protects roughly 7000 acres of remote, tropical, cloud rainforest. According to Jocotoco, this is one of the most devastated cloud forests in the world, with only 5-10% of the original forest cover remaining today, with much of the original rainforest cleared for use as pastureland.
The Buenaventura Reserve is home to more than 330 species of birds, 15 of which are endangered and 34 of which are endemic, including the El Oro Parakeet (pictured below). In addition to birds, the reserve contains western two-toed sloths, coati, spotted tigrillos, and western white capuchin monkeys - a species that was previously extinct in Ecuador prior to Jocotoco's reintroduction efforts in 2010. Furthermore, the reserve holds endemic and threatened species of plants and trees. The trees of the Cloud Forest offer an ideal habitat for epiphytes, orchids, heliconias and giant trees. These big trees are responsible for the humidity and richness of the area.
So, what does your donation go towards? During the three weeks I'll be spending at the reserve, I get to live in in a sparse wooden building with bunk beds (but hey, it's got running water!). I'll be spending six hours a day, six days a week supporting Jocotoco through the following activities:
- Reforestation Efforts: collect seeds and seedlings for the nursery, help with planting, prepare fertilizers and monitor plots
- Data Collection: collect precipitation and temperature data
- Monitor Trap Cameras: camera location assessments, classification of flora and fauna photos
- Nesting: construction, location, monitoring and cleaning of bird nests
- Species Monitoring: preparation of transects for bird species and data recording
- Hummingbird Garden: provide guidance to visiting tourists in the garden
- Animal Care: collection and preparation of food for feeders, feeding animals daily
Below, two volunteers work on reforestation efforts. Since 2004, Jocotoco has planted almost 1.5 million native trees spanning 130 species, reforesting almost 7500 acres in the process. The organization recently partnered with Red Forestal to create a pilot program in the Buenaventura Reserve in which individuals can sponsor trees, which are GPS tagged, and which are monitored, so donors can watch their investment literally take root and grow! The program is launching this month when I'm down there and will start with the planting of 1000 trees.
Furthermore, the organization has strong ties to both the local communities and the global community. Jocotoco provides employment opportunities for those living close to the reserves and is on good terms with local and national governments.
I hope that you will support me in this endeavor. I'll be paying for my flights, and am asking for help with the $580 volunteer deposit, with any funds raised above and beyond that going directly to Fundacion Jocotoco so they can continue this amazing work. Any amount helps, and you'll be providing a safe and sustainable habitat for cute little critters like this guy :)
Check out the organization for more information or to volunteer yourself. I'd appreciate you sharing this with anyone who might be interested.
Fundacion Jocotoco Ecuador
I spent the summer researching the effects of oil drilling in the Ecuadorian Amazon on the environment and the indigenous communities that live there. Unfortunately, I'm unable to travel to the regions I researched due to a highly contentious and dangerous political environment created by oil drilling efforts in the Yasuni National Park. Thankfully I learned about the efforts of Fundacion Jocotoco through the Rainforest Trust and am thrilled to be supporting them in their mission of conservation.
Fundacion Jocotoco is an NGO founded in Ecuador over twenty years ago with the goal of "protecting areas of critical importance for the conservation of endemic and threatened bird species in Ecuador." Since 1998 they have established 14 biological reserves, collectively spanning more than 51,000 acres. The reserves are home to more than 900 species of birds, 50 of which are threatened or near extinction, another 100 of which are endemic. Not into birds? That's okay - these reserves also protect over 200 species of amphibians and reptiles, and rare large mammals such as the spectacled bear, puma, jaguar, mountain tapir and choco tapir, among others.
I'll be heading to the Buenaventura Reserve in the El Oro province (the orange marker on the map below).
The Buenaventura Reserve protects roughly 7000 acres of remote, tropical, cloud rainforest. According to Jocotoco, this is one of the most devastated cloud forests in the world, with only 5-10% of the original forest cover remaining today, with much of the original rainforest cleared for use as pastureland.
The Buenaventura Reserve is home to more than 330 species of birds, 15 of which are endangered and 34 of which are endemic, including the El Oro Parakeet (pictured below). In addition to birds, the reserve contains western two-toed sloths, coati, spotted tigrillos, and western white capuchin monkeys - a species that was previously extinct in Ecuador prior to Jocotoco's reintroduction efforts in 2010. Furthermore, the reserve holds endemic and threatened species of plants and trees. The trees of the Cloud Forest offer an ideal habitat for epiphytes, orchids, heliconias and giant trees. These big trees are responsible for the humidity and richness of the area.
So, what does your donation go towards? During the three weeks I'll be spending at the reserve, I get to live in in a sparse wooden building with bunk beds (but hey, it's got running water!). I'll be spending six hours a day, six days a week supporting Jocotoco through the following activities:
- Reforestation Efforts: collect seeds and seedlings for the nursery, help with planting, prepare fertilizers and monitor plots
- Data Collection: collect precipitation and temperature data
- Monitor Trap Cameras: camera location assessments, classification of flora and fauna photos
- Nesting: construction, location, monitoring and cleaning of bird nests
- Species Monitoring: preparation of transects for bird species and data recording
- Hummingbird Garden: provide guidance to visiting tourists in the garden
- Animal Care: collection and preparation of food for feeders, feeding animals daily
Below, two volunteers work on reforestation efforts. Since 2004, Jocotoco has planted almost 1.5 million native trees spanning 130 species, reforesting almost 7500 acres in the process. The organization recently partnered with Red Forestal to create a pilot program in the Buenaventura Reserve in which individuals can sponsor trees, which are GPS tagged, and which are monitored, so donors can watch their investment literally take root and grow! The program is launching this month when I'm down there and will start with the planting of 1000 trees.
Furthermore, the organization has strong ties to both the local communities and the global community. Jocotoco provides employment opportunities for those living close to the reserves and is on good terms with local and national governments.
I hope that you will support me in this endeavor. I'll be paying for my flights, and am asking for help with the $580 volunteer deposit, with any funds raised above and beyond that going directly to Fundacion Jocotoco so they can continue this amazing work. Any amount helps, and you'll be providing a safe and sustainable habitat for cute little critters like this guy :)
Check out the organization for more information or to volunteer yourself. I'd appreciate you sharing this with anyone who might be interested.
Fundacion Jocotoco Ecuador
Organizer
Kirsten Meder
Organizer
El Cerrito, CA