AMAZON ANDES PROGRAM

Thanks to its strategic location, this area is home to a unique variety of plants and animals that combine species from the Andes and the Amazon. Here, we seek to maintain the connectivity of an entire ladder of ecosystems, from the icy Andean peaks to the jungle of the upper Napo, giving species more space to thrive.

From glaciers at the tops of mountains three miles high (5 km), across active volcanoes, to the foothills of the Amazon rainforest and the winding Napo River, few regions offer landscapes that are as dramatically diverse as this one. In fact, the east slope of the Tropical Andes is considered to be the "hottest" of the global biodiversity hotspots. Birds reach their highest global diversity here. Connecting and buffering existing reserves is a high priority, as deforestation is accelerating.

Up in the highlands, Chakana Reserve complements the conservation of páramo grasslands of Antisana National Park and is home to one-third of the population of Andean Condors in Ecuador. On the lower border of this park, our Narupa Reserve connects with Sumaco Napo - Galeras National Park, creating a nearly 740,000-acre (300,000-hectare) continuous protected landscape. We intend to close the gaps within these protected areas' buffer zones by expanding our reserves and supporting other private reserves, national parks, and Kijos-Kichwa communal forests.