Wings and Roots: Ángel Mamallacta's Work in the Heart of the Amazon

Ángel looks up attentively. With the help of his binoculars, he locates an active nest, records the sighting in the JocoApp, our monitoring application, and captures several photographs.

He watches as a pair of macaws take turns caring for their nest, while two more fly nearby in what appears to be a courtship ritual. This is a good sign, Military Macaws have declined because of the loss of forest habitat, and also because their young are often taken from nests to then be sold as pets. The macaws he sees are safely nesting in an indigenous community in the buffer zone of the Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Park, near our Narupa Reserve. These buffer zones are home to important wildlife habitat, and protecting these buffer zones is critical to sustaining the wildlife in nearby reserves and national parks. 

For Ángel, these moments are far more than just data. By monitoring Military Macaws, we can study their population trends, learn what conservation measures work best, and protect this vulnerable species. We are just beginning this work. 

Ángel's passion for conservation runs in his blood. Born in Ecuador's Napo Province, he grew up surrounded by rainforest, rivers, and the constant chorus of wildlife. In 2018, inspired by fellow rangers who shared their love of birds with him, he became a park ranger himself. Since then, his life has changed: he learned to walk quietly along the trails, to listen before looking, and to find beauty in the smallest details. For him, watching birds in the wild is a transformative experience.

Ángel has developed skills in wildlife photography to document the species he protects. He also trained in bird identification and vocalization recording, with a special focus on monitoring migratory species. 

"What inspires me the most is observing birds in their natural habitat, listening to their songs, and watching their behavior," Ángel says. "Each species has something special, and being present for those unique moments is what keeps me going in this work."

Angel's expertise and passion extends to all life in the rainforest. Last year, Ángel was part of the team that carried out a population study on magnolias in the Narupa Reserve. Many species of magnolias are rare and declining, lost to deforestation. We set out to document magnolias in Narupa in order to protect them and start restoring their populations. 

Before starting the study, Angel received training in tree climbing and seed collection techniques, since many magnolias grow very tall and require special skills to study them. Our botanical expert strategically selected 15 sampling points to represent different types of vegetation, ranging from primary forests to grasslands and areas affected by human activity. At each point, the botanist marked out a one-hectare plot (20 meters wide by 500 meters long), where the team recorded the location of magnolia trees using GPS and field sheets. The Narupa team monitored all 15 plots across nine field trips. They faced rugged terrain and dense forest, and in some cases, it took an entire day to monitor just one plot. 

One of their most interesting results was that they recorded 11 individuals of Magnolia mercedesiarum, an endangered species found along the eastern slope of the Andes first described in 2018, marking the first discovery of this species in the Narupa reserve. 

"This was one of the largest magnolias we've seen in the reserve," says Ángel, remembering an impressive tree that stood out for its size and beauty among the forest vegetation.

Jocotoco's goal is to propagate the magnolia seeds collected by our park guards and then plant those young trees back in the forest, ensuring that this species has a future. Those same trees he plants may one day host nests for future generations of Military Macaws. 

We believe conservation needs more people like Ángel: committed, curious, and deeply respectful of the natural world. Supporting his work means investing in humans and in the protection of the Amazon rainforest and, with it, the conservation of water, biodiversity, and the ecosystems essential to fighting deforestation and climate change. Every step he takes, every nest he protects, and every tree he plants is a promise of life, for those of us who inhabit the planet today, and for those yet to come.