The
Independent Charities Seal of Excellence is awarded to charities
that have, upon rigorous independent review, been able to certify,
document, and demonstrate on an annual basis that they meet the
highest standards of public accountability, program effectiveness,
and cost effectiveness.
Sign up for Our Email Newsletter
Our Conservation Partners
The United Nations Science and Culture Organization
(UNESCO)
The United Nations Science and Culture
Organization (UNESCO) declared 2.6 million acres of Andean
and Amazon forests of southern Ecuador as the Podocarpus - El Condor
Biosphere Reserve, based upon an initiative of NCI and the support
of the Ecuadorian State (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of
Environment, Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Defense), local Governments
(two provincial and ten municipalities) and more than twenty public
and private organizations in the provinces of Loja and Zamora. This
area is one of the most biodiverse in the world, with more than 800
bird species and 5,000 plant species, with high endemism. It also
shelters two ancient cultures (Shuar and Saraguro) along with the
two main cities of southern Ecuador. The Reserve also provides around
1,000 m3/sec of water for 2 million people in southern Ecuador and
northern Peru.
