CCBD Council for Cultural and Biological Diversity
This Hotspot is in northwest South America, and is richest and most diverse region on Earth. While 25% of the habitat remains, extraction from mining, timber, oil and other development threatens the region daily.
Sangay National Park is a UNESCO-declared Endangered World Heritage Biosphere Reserve within the Hotspot. It is located in the Ecuadorian Amazon province of Pastaza and Morona
Santiago.
The Llushin River valley project protects fragile rainforest ecosystems in the Llushin River valley near the Sangay National Park.
It is a collaborative effort between the Amazanga community, the Council for Cultural and Biological Diversity and the U.S. based Living Bridges Foundation and Tropical Rainforest Coalition.
The groups have obtained small grants and raised money through bake sales, which has allowed them to purchase several rainforest plots since 1994. Thanks to a grant from the Threshold foundation, in 2006, 2 remaining parcels were purchased in order to form a continual land holding. To date 1,200 hectares (2,800 acres) have been saved and are now protected as a biological reserve.
The reserve is owned by the indigenous Amazanga community, who are its ancestral stewards, who are dedicated to the challenging, ground-level task of protecting the area.
Critical fundraising efforts are needed to expand the reserve by purchasing threatened adjacent lands.
Funds are also needed to build basic infrastructure to monitor the reserve. Tax exempt donations can be made through the Living Bridges Foundation
The exquisite rainforest covering these hills (known locally as the "eyebrow of the Andes") is inhabited by numerous tree species and rare palms, along with bromeliads, orchids and other unique tropical plants and animals. Supporting this project offers a unique opportunity to protect fragile and important rainforest habitat through direct land acquisition.
Donations can be easily made through Pay Pal on the CCBD Home Page. For further information or to view a project proposal, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Tropical Andes Biodiversity Hotspot and Sangay National Park
rainforest conservation in the Llushin River valley
