Ecuador has one of the greatest densities of unique species on Earth. Within a relatively small area–spread out across highland, coastal and rainforest ecosystems–an abundance of wildlife thrives. This country’s geographic diversity has led to high levels of endemism. Unfortunately, Ecuador’s deforestation rate is the second highest in South America and the highest of any Amazonian country. Social and economic pressures are threatening Ecuador’s once-pristine environments, leading to degraded habitats and extinctions.

In Ecuador, Nature and Culture is working with local partners, governments and communities to conserve a wide range of natural ecosystems–dry coastal forests and the rich cloud forests of the Andean mountains as well as the remarkable rainforests of the Amazon basin.