UNESCO declared the Podocarpus-El Condor Biosphere Reserve in October of 2007, the result of years of work by Nature and Culture International with the government of Ecuador and local communities. This new Biosphere Reserve protects and promotes sustainable development of 2.6 million acres of Andean tropical forests in south Ecuador. An area of montane and cloud forest, it has a very high concentration of endangered and endemic species and is one of the areas of highest plant diversity in the world.

David Neill of the Missouri Botanical garden has found new endemic species and new genera in surrounding lowland sites; 40% of the areas plant species are endemics and include an astonishing number of orchids, bromeliads, and ferns. The Field Museum’s Robin Foster has characterized these cloud forests as a world conservation priority. The region is home to 600 bird species, 61 species of hummingbirds and 81 different Tanagers. Charismatic mammals include rare Mountain Tapirs and Spectacled Bears. The indigenous Shuar and Saraguro people are deeply connected to these forests and are dependable partners in forest management.

Especially interesting is the Cordillera del Condor range, an older mountain chain that is physically separate from the younger Andes. It’s upraised “Tufa” is similar to formations in Venezuela, but is biologically distinct from the surrounding lowland Amazon forests. The Condor region connects to the incredibly species-rich Podocarpus National Park via the Nangaritza valley.

Nature and Culture International (NCI) is seeking $1.14 million over three years to support additional reserves and management protection, including working with the native Shuar centers in the area, declaring new reserves, and $300,000 for purchasing a key area of rainforest located in the species-abundant upper Nangaritza Valley. This area will provide forest connectivity between the Cordillera del Condor and the Podocarpus National Park—Ecuador’s top southern conservation priority—and connections to similar ecosystems in Peru.

You can help make a difference for this incredible reserve and its many unique species by making a donation today.