Fundación de Conservación Jocotoco

Fundación de Conservación Jocotoco (Jocotoco Conservation Foundation) is an Ecuadorian non-governmental environmental organization.^[1] Fundación Jocotoco was established in 1998 to protect land of critical importance to the conservation of Ecuador’s endangered birds and associated biodiversity not otherwise protected by Ecuador's existing system of protected areas. The Foundation primarily achieves this aim by purchasing lands and managing them as ecological reserves.

To date, the Jocotoco Foundation has established ten reserves protecting about 12,000 ha (approx 30,000 acres). While the reserves have primarily been established to protect habitat for endangered birds, their habitats and many associated plants and animals are protected as well. The Foundation’s reserves are known to support populations of over 800 species of birds, of which over 50 are globally threatened or near-threatened and more than 100 are restricted-range or endemic species.

Fundación Jocotoco established its first reserve, the Tapichalaca Biological Reserve in 1998 to protect the type locality and main range of the newly discovered Jocotoco antpitta (Grallaria ridgelyi). Robert S. Ridgely and others discovered the striking new bird species in wet upper subtropical forest in southeastern Ecuador (ca. 2,500 m elevation).^[2] The reserve now protects > 2870 hectares of forest and an associated 380+ species of birds and numerous range-restricted plants, amphibians, mammals, and invertebrates.^[3][4][5][6]

Since its inception, Fundación Jocotoco has greatly expanded its efforts and the organization now administers ten reserves across Ecuador. The reserves are strategically located in key areas of global biodiversity and endemism. In total, Fundación Jocotoco's reserves protect approximately 800 species birds on just ~14000 hectares of land.

Fundación Jocotoco is funded primarily by individuals through cooperation with various partner organisations, most significantly Rainforest Trust , the American Bird Conservancy, and World Land Trust.

Current Fundación Jocotoco reserves and some focal bird species:

• Tapichalaca, wet lower subtropical forest up to páramo on east slope of Andes. Jocotoco antpitta, golden-plumed parakeet, white-necked parakeet, Peruvian antpitta, bicolored antvireo, masked saltator, greater scythebill
• Río Canandé, wet Chocó lowlands of the northwest. Scarlet-breasted dacnis, banded ground-cuckoo, great curassow, golden-chested tanager
• Buenaventura, wet upper foot hill forest on west slope of Andes. One of only a few localities for El Oro parakeet, and El Oro tapaculo. Other species of interest include long-wattled umbrellabird, ochraceous attila, and club-winged manakin.
• Yanacocha, upper temperate forest on Volcán Pichincha. Black-breasted puffleg (one of the few remaining world localities for this critically endangered species), imperial snipe, rainbow-bearded thornbill
• Narupa, wet foothill forest on the east slope of the Andes. Coppery-chested jacamar, Napo sabrewing, many other foothill species
• Jorupe, Tumbesian dry forest. Henna-hooded foliage-gleaner, rufous-necked foliage-gleaner, blackish-headed spinetail, gray-headed antbird
• Utuana, temperate forest on slopes above interandean valley. Piura hemispingus, rainbow starfrontlet, black-crested tit-tyrant
• Yunguilla, woodland south of Cuenca. Only world locality for the critically endangered pale-headed brush-finch

Fundación Jocotoco and its funding bodies support an active research program that seeks to gather critical baseline natural history information on the endangered birds protected in the reserves. Results of these studies will facilitate more effective conservation of the threatened species. Recent projects include:

• Radio telemetry and natural history observations of Jocotoco antpitta at Tapichalaca
• Reproductive montoring of pale-headed brush-finch at Yungilla and El Oro parakeet at Buenaventura
• Documenting reproductive biology and identifying critical breeding habitat of Esmeraldas woodstar in coastal Ecuador^[7]

See Fundación Jocotoco's website for more information on:

• Reserves and the species they protect
• Current projects
• Ways to donate
• Funding partners
• Current staff and board members

References