MISSION

The Fundación Jocotoco is an Ecuadorian conservation NGO founded in 1998. Our mission is to conserve Ecuadors biodiversity, especially its threatened species and ecosystems, guided by scientific evidence and local leadership.
 

OUR COMMUNITY

 

OUR HISTORY

Many years ago, a small group of people were exploring a mountain slope in southern Ecuador. Few from outside the community had ever visited this stretch of cloud forest. They heard a song in the distance, an unknown song. They walked closer, and the song grew louder. Suddenly, a bird jumped from the forest floor onto a branch, and stood in front of them. It was a bird unknown to science, never before seen by the outside world. It would soon be called the Jocotoco Antpitta. To protect this new species, they acted quickly to purchase that forest. It became the Tapichalaca Reserve. Over the years, Jocotoco expanded. We saved rare species and habitats on new reserves across Ecuador. We restored forests that were lost. We started conserving wildlife in the oceans. Now, years later, we protect ecosystems across entire regions. Jocotoco is now a model for the rest of the world, showing how a small, local organization can grow to have an impact across an entire country.
OUR HISTORY