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"The reserve itself is beautiful and perfect in my eyes. Although the accommodation is basic, it is the best basic I have ever experienced."

Sarah


"Teaching in one of the local schools had the greatest impact on me; seeing kids arrive with bare feet and grubby clothes, but always a great big smile and persistent curiousity!"

Anna


"We've also had some great experiences after our work time, such as bathing in lagoons and fishing for our dinner off 15 meter cliffs."

Stacey

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Ecuador Resource Pack

Ecuador's 'Megadiversity'

Although Ecuador is a relatively small country, it is one of the earth's most biodiverse. According to the World Resource Institute, Ecuador is one of the few countries on earth categorized as "megadiverse," owing to its variety of ecosystems and species. The main reasons for this are its tropical location on the equator, the high Andes mountain range and two major ocean currents that run along its coast. As well as its biodiversity, Ecuador is also the most ethnically diverse country in Latin America, with large African, Asian, Arab, Caucasian and Jewish populations.

Unfortunately, Ecuador's once untouched lands are being spoiled by human intervention, and at a rapid rate. Oil exploration, logging, and road building have had a disastrous impact on its primary rainforests, which now cover less than 15 percent of the country's land mass. Oil has been a major cause of environmental issues, with exploitative oil companies spilling 17 million gallons of crude oil into local river systems and 20 billion gallons of toxic drilling by-products over a 25 year period, whilst also clearing mass areas of forest for roads.

Though there are laws that prohibit cutting down trees and wood exportation, deforestation is rampant, causing thousands of acres of forest to be destroyed each day. It has been estimated that at its current rate of destruction, Ecuador's forests will be gone in less than 40 years. Lack of enforcement laws and governmental corruption are greatly to blame for this most disturbing statistic.

As well as this, small communities living in the more threatened areas of Ecuador are uneducated in methods of creating sustainable development and ecotourism, instead threatening to extinguish already endangered animal species and their habitats. For this reason it is vital to reach these smaller communities now in the aim of decreasing the rapid decline in biodiversity.

The Galapagos Islands, which was declared a Natural World Heritage site due to its incredible wildlife, native only to the isolated islands, need help to stop the threat of the extinction. Work is dedicated to conserving the flora and fauna of the island, and also to conserve the last remaining extensive stretch of high altitude cloud forest in the Andes.

We at Global Volunteer Network are proud of our volunteers' contribution to the area through our partner organization in Ecuador. Our partner was established in 1989 by the government of Ecuador, and is a private, non-profit foundation. Besides protecting ecologically important forest habitats, the foundation's biological stations are nationally and internationally recognized as leaders in the development of innovative and concrete programs in community agro-forestry, and environmental education. The project not only works towards conservation, but also for the understanding and development of local communities with ecologically sustainable strategies and respect for their traditions and culture.

"They could make something from nothing and put the West's material culture to shame." - Maria Brookes

"Forming a relationship with the staff… in becoming friends with them I was able to learn about the work of the reserve on a much deeper level. .. I was able to find out about the needs of the reserve and how I might contribute." - Zoe Miros Warner

Easy Facts

For the Ecuador Easy Facts sheet, click here.

Articles

The Disappearance of Ecuador's Mangroves: http://www.volunteer.org.nz/media/articles/ecuador.php.

Opening Pandora's Box: Oil Exploration in Ecuador: http://www.volunteer.org.nz/media/articles/palmer.php.

Further Reading

Cloud Forests Fading in the Mist, Their Treasures Little Known, John Roach, National Geographic News, August 13, 2001: They are nature's "water towers," providing billions of gallons of fresh, clean, filtered water. They are home to thousands of indigenous peoples, and storehouses of biodiversity, at least 80 percent of which has not yet been catalogued.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/08/0813_cloudforest.html

How To Save Tropical Rainforests: Today tropical rainforests are disappearing from the face of the globe. Despite growing international concern, rainforests continue to be destroyed at a pace exceeding 80,000 acres (32,000 hectares) per day.
http://rainforests.mongabay.com/1001.htm

Country Profile

For Ecuador's country profile, click here.

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