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The Reserves

For more details about the available reserves, please download our quick access guide (PDF).

Amazon

The Amazon Biological Reserve in located in the province of Napo in Ecuador. Of the six stations, Amazon is the oldest, and was created in 1986 out of the need to have a conservation, investigation and education centre to host scientists and students interested in the tropical rainforests. The present size of this reserve is 2 000 hectares, created by donations from various individuals and organizations concerned with the rapid loss of the tropical rainforests in the Amazon and the world. This reserve is located in an Alpha Biodiversity Hot Spot, one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world.
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Bilsa

The Bilsa reserve conserves a critical remnant of Ecuador's coastal pre-montane wet forest, of which less than 1% remains. Located in the Mache Mountains in the north western coastal province of Esmeraldas, this remnant of forest has a unique composition of flora and fauna, internationally renowned for both its diversity and rarity. The region's rugged topography (300 to 800 meters) and the coastal climate create a dense fog, which shrouds all of Bilsa's steeper ridges. Rare animals found at the reserve include the Jaguar, several small cat species, the Long Wattled Umbrella Bird, the Giant Anteater and abundant populations of the threatened Mantled Howler Monkey.
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Congal

The Congal Biological Research Station was founded in 2000 in order to protect Ecuador's endangered coastal ecosystems. The Station features beach, estuarine, mangrove, wetlands and wet tropical forest habitats, which account for the regions high biodiversity and local endemism. The purpose of the Station is to develop projects in the fields of conservation, organic and environmentally friendly aquaculture, farming and forestry.
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La Hesperia

The 814 hectare Hesperia Biological Station is situated in the western lower reaches of the Andes, 1100 to 2040 metres above sea level. This diverse reserve spans over evergreen, low montane and tropical cloud forest. More than three hundred bird species have been identified at La Hesperia; 19 are endemic to the region, and 7 are vulnerable or in danger of extinction. Although the area is extremely important for the conservation of biodiversity, deforestation remains a threat.
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Lalo Loor

The Lalo Loor reserve was founded in July 2004 in Ecuador´s Manabi Province, one of the most important areas for conservation in the world due to the destruction of 99% of the natural forest. A number of mammal, bird and tree species which have disappeared elsewhere are relatively abundant at The Lalo Loor Dry Forest Reserve. Dry forests are strongly seasonal. During the dry season many plants shed their leaves to conserve water, and animals gather around the remaining water holes. Once the rainy season arrives, the area returns to life in a few days.
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San Cristobal

The San Cristobal Biological Station is located on the Galápagos Islands, off the west coast of Ecuador. The recently established reserve was established on a 200 hectare site in the highlands of San Cristobal Island. The objectives of the project are to reconstruct the original forests on the island, and to provide viable agricultural products for the local population to grow. Volunteers will work on habitat restoration and agricultural sustainability while at the reserve. In addition foundation staff will lead volunteers on explorations of lagoons, native forests, beaches, and the local villages, to explain the ecological and human dynamic of Galapagos.
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