Projects
Llushin River Valley, Ecuador
Background
The Llushin River Rainforest Conservation Project is a group effort among the Amazanga Community (located within the perimeter area of the Sangay), the Council for Cultural and Biological Diversity (CCBD), and three U.S. Foundations: Family Lands Group, Living Bridges Foundation (LBF) and Tropical Rainforest Coalition (TRC).
Ecosystem
The lands known as Puca Urca are at the confluence of the Lando Llushin and the Chuya Llushin Rivers. The area is 95% covered in premontane primary rainforest from approximately 600 to 1000 meters elevation above sea level and is home to a wide array of wildlife and endangered species.
Location of the Llushin River Reserve
This forest, known as the “eyebrow of the Andes” is exquisite, with numerous tree species and rare palms, and teeming with bromeliads, orchids, aroids, lycopodiums, and cyclanthas. Animals found within it are tapirs, parrots of many kinds, military macaws, kinkajous, olingos, tyras and the rare cacomistle, the short-eared bush dog, huron and dwarf porcupines.
Large forest cats such as pumas and jaguars as well as smaller oncilla and margay make this area their home. This upland jungle area is located upstream from the last uncontaminated stretch of the Pastaza River (much of it is contaminated from petrol by-products and cyanide from gold mining wastes), and as such is crucial to the health and survival of all downstream communities.
Achievements
To date, with the help of all our generous donors and supporters, TRC has been able to purchase a total of eight rainforest plots totaling over 2000 hectares (4940 acres) bordering the perimeter of the Sangay forest.
Conservation
Protecting rainforests through land acquisition is fundamental to botanical and cultural conservation. National parks are useful in protecting larger areas of rich biodiversity. Land purchases have focused on areas bordering Sangay National Park to create a buffer zone and thus a larger contiguous land area for maintaining high biological diversity. The Santi family won the right from the government of Ecuador to also manage and protect 50,000 hectares in Sangay National Park.
Sunlight filters through the dense forest canopy
This is a great responsibility for the Wanduk Foundation and they have managed it in part by setting up a study center adjacent to the park where university students can come to prepare for participation in protecting the forests through learning about environmental management and conservation. This and further land purchases in the perimeter zone of the Sangay National Park will begin to ensure their protection from unsustainable timber and resource extraction, and create a place where local peoples can thrive in an interdependent relationship with the ecology.