Programme

The Chocó rainforest is one of the five most threatened biodiversity hotspots globally. Unplanned deforestation by smallholders and large corporations is quickly changing and endangering Ecuador’s rainforests and economy. To protect the Chocó, Fundación Jocotoco acquires plots of pristine forest, selectively logged forest, and pastures to combine them into one large contiguous area, the Canandé Reserve.

The aim is to conserve and restore the Chocó ecosystem by acquiring and managing land as a biological reserve. The area holds viable populations of key endemic and threatened species, such as white-lipped peccaries, jaguars, and critically endangered brown-headed spider monkeys. Without expanding the protection, however, the intact rainforest will be gone in a few years. With protection, a diverse forest consisting of a good mix of pioneer and climax tree species thrives.

With the support of DOB Ecology, Jocotoco has extended its Canandé Reserve with 1,687 hectares. By the end of 2022, Canandé spanned 10,705 hectares, and by 2023, the western part of the reserve (2,980 ha) was designated as a wildlife refuge in Ecuador’s national system of protected areas, thereby permanently exempting this area from extractive industries, such as mining or logging. Research across all taxonomic groups has shown a quick recovery of the Chocó rainforests following protection by Jocotoco: the diversity of animals and plants recovers within 20-30 years. Jocotoco aims to continue the expansion of Canandé by connecting it with the government-owned El Pambilar Wildlife Refuge, the Cotacachi-Cayapas National Park, and the Chachi indigenous territories