Beginnings and evolution at Jocotoco

"I first started working at Fundación Jocotoco in 2007 on a restoration project in the Yanacocha reserve in the Polylepis forest high in the Andes. Over the years, I have taken on various roles. Jocotoco has given me the opportunity to develop new skills and participate in ambitious projects. Five years ago, I never imagined buying land on the scale that we do now," Efrain shares.

Currently, Jocotoco manages a network of 17 private reserves, extending over 86,486 acres (35,000 hectares), where we protect more than 4,244 species, most of them highly threatened or new to science.

"Our goal for expansion is to generate natural corridors between threatened habitats and to connect with state-protected areas. Initially, we sought to have reserves large enough to guarantee the species' survival, but now we are focusing on a regional vision," explains Efraín.

Canandé, lessons learned and challenges in the wet Ecuadorian Chocó

"If I had been told 10 years ago that we were planning to connect with the Cotacachi-Cayapas National Park, I would have thought it would be difficult to achieve. We didn't have the management capacity, the resources, or the personnel. But, over the years, a series of factors have allowed Jocotoco to achieve these great objectives," says Efraín.

Efraín has been working on expanding the Canandé reserve in the province of Esmeraldas for 13 years. Throughout this time, Jocotoco has been looking for ways to overcome the challenges and guarantee the growth of Canandé, in order to preserve as much of the Chocó forest as possible.

"In Canandé, we are now linked to the Cotacachi Cayapas National Park and the Pambilar Wildlife Refuge, which are state-protected areas. In 2023, part of the Canandé reserve was declared a wildlife refuge and joined the National System of Protected Areas (SNAP). This is the highest level of protection possible in Ecuador. We intend to continue working until the entire reserve has the same category."

Currently, the Canandé reserve covers over 37,000 acres (15,000 hectares), and has the first scientific laboratory in the lower Chocó, where we study forest regeneration with partner universities.

"This primary forest has been lost and continues to be lost, mainly due to commercial logging. That is why the work we are doing here is so important and why we want to continue advancing," emphasizes Efraín.

From Jocotoco, we will continue to make a difference with our conservation model based on scientific evidence, expanding our reserves to weave a network of protection that preserves Ecuador's incredible biodiversity.