PODOCARPUS - EL CÓNDOR
PROGRAM
The Podocarpus-El Cóndor Biosphere Reserve hosts a very special assembly of Andean ecosystems, humid forests of the El Cóndor mountain range, older than the Andes, and one of the few dry forests of the Amazon basin trapped between both. Nine of these ecosystems are unique as a whole and all of them are home to countless endemic species. At the same time, destruction due to deforestation and mining is still spreading fast, making our conservation job a high priority if we are to prevent the extinction of hundreds of species, most of them still unknown to science.
At the heart of this landscape lies the Tapichalaca Reserve, home of the Jocotoco Antpitta and a key joint connecting two national parks. Now, we are working to extend protection beyond this 200,000-hectare network of protected areas by improving the management of a 70,000-hectare large municipal conservation area that further connects with a smaller national reserve. Once we establish an effective management scheme in this 300,000+ core area, we plan to extend actions around our Copalinga Reserve to the north, along El Cóndor to the east, or south to the dry forests of Zumba Valley.
We preserve the integrity of ecosystems.
Our goal is to create long-lasting changes over time to protect the forests and species that are still here in this area.