Itapoa Tropical Rainforest Reserve

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HELP THE RAIN FORESTItapoa Reserve is a rainforest research and conservation project in the northwest of Ecuador. It is located in The Chocó Region which is found in Colombia and the north of Ecuador, from the Pacific coast to the Andes - one of the most beautiful areas of the world . The Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena region counts as one of the world's 34 biodiversity hotspots. A hotspot is a region that contains more than 1500 vascular plants as endemics, and that has lost more than 70% of its primary vegetation. (An endemic species or biologic group is one that has evolved within a restricted area - a species that can be found only in that geographical location). Itapoa itself has a botanical garden with more than 400 species of flowers, tropical fruits, orchids, palms. 300 acres of rainforest in the middle of the jungle, plus a smaller piece of land where the headquarters of the project is, the gardens and 20 acres of forest as well.Since 1989. Itapoa has been working to prevent deforestation while replanting clear cut land and creating new patches of forest. Along with the reforestation efforts, aimed at preserving the endemic plant and wildlife, Itapoa's goal is to educate native settlers about the dangers of logging. By training them to utilize cacao as a cash crop, natives are able to bring in income as an alternative to logging or selling their land, loosing it forever and forcing them to migrate out of their homes and community. We courage neighbors to allow some part of their clear cut land to have the forest grow back with the plants we produce from seeds that are collected for the project. Growing these plants is a large effort we accomplish with the help of many caring and invaluable volunteers. Some of the native plants reintroduced to these area help repopulate species of trees which are almost extinct.