Chocó Lab: Practicing science to save the Chocó Forest

A little over a year ago, if you were counting on a scientific lab dedicated to studying Chocó's tropical forest, you'd be dreaming. Today, it's a reality.

Chocó Lab is operational as of this month (March 2022) and located in our Canandé reserve. Around 20 scientists have already started working in a program that will last at least the next four years. They are studying the resilience of the Chocó Forest in the face of deforestation, under the direction of Dr. Nico Blüthgen and our CEO, Dr. Martin Schaefer. This investigation will be carried out along with researchers from approximately 20 German and Ecuadorian universities under the Technical University of Darmstadt leadership.

At a time when the remaining extent of secondary forests exceeds that of primary forests, knowledge of restoration processes through the study of the ecological processes of pollination, germination, seed dispersal, reproduction, and decomposition in the lowlands of the Chocó in Ecuador will serve as a "blueprint" for how to restore healthy ecosystems.

This laboratory's construction was accomplished over a span of seven months, despite the Canandé reserve's remoteness and inclement climate (it is in the humid, rainy province of Esmeraldas in northwest Ecuador). This feat would not have been possible without the generous technical support offered by Rosero Construye, led by Jorge Rosero, and under the supervision of the architect Fabián Gracia, among other Ecuadorian businesses, like Kubiec and Kywi, who offered crucial discounts to make this scientific construction possible.

Likewise, the Chocó Lab wouldn't have been standing and achieved in record time without the hard work, commitment, and dedication of Adela Espinosa and Santiago Arroyo. They voluntarily invested long shifts and working hours in helping us in the logistics and operations throughout this challenging construction. We also want to thank our field personnel and service staff of Jocotours, both in Canandé, as well as our administrative and accounting team from our Quito headquarters for their teamwork.

Finally, we wish to highlight our commitment to support scientific research for the conservation of the endangered ecosystems we currently protect in Ecuador, with the objective that they may serve as a reference to other conservation efforts around the globe.