Río Manduriacu, Western Ecuador
Western Andes, Ecuador
Type of Proposed Protection:
Private protected area, incorporated into the National System of Protected Areas (SNAP).
Conservation Partners:
PT Wijaya Karya (PT WIKA) with its partnership including Nambo communities, Fundación EcoMinga
Ecoregion:
Northwest Andean Montane Forests
Scale of the Proposed Protected Area:
403 hectares - 994 acres
Total Declaration Cost:
$28,000 USD, matching funds of $22,000 (total $50,000)
Grantee:
Fundación EcoMinga
Morning fog in Western Ecuador.
Home to these rare and threatened species:
Magnolia (Magnolia chiguila)
Tandayapa Andes Toad (Rhaebo olallai)
Manduriacu Glassfrog (Nymphargus manduriacu)
Banded ground-cuckoo (Neomorphus radiolosus)
Jaguar (Panthera onca sub. occidentalis)
Historic Communites:
Local Ecuadorian communities
About the local conservation partner:
Fundación EcoMinga, also known as EcoMinga Foundation or “Network for the Protection of Threatened Forests,” is a non-profit Ecuadorian NGO founded in 2006, legally established via ministerial agreement in February 2006. The mission is to conserve areas of high biodiversity and endemism, focusing on foothill forests, cloud forests, and páramo ecosystems of the Tropical Andes—regions not covered by Ecuador’s national parks. They achieve this by establishing private protected reserves in critical hotspot areas, guided by scientific research, community involvement, and long-term ecological stewardship.
They work on 15 reserves in total, spanning four provinces: Carchi, Imbabura, Tungurahua, and Pastaza. Thirteen are concentrated around Baños de Agua Santa and Mera, with two (Dracula and Río Manduriacu) in the northwestern Andes near the Chocó region. They protect over 12,000 hectares (about 30,000 acres) of diverse ecosystems, ranging from 900 m to 3,860 m in elevation—a critical elevation gradient for biodiversity. Fundación EcoMinga is a powerful example of how private reserve networks, backed by scientific rigor and community involvement, can safeguard biodiversity hotspots where traditional protected areas fall short. Their work not only protects endangered species, but also safeguards vital ecosystems and water resources for local communities.
Conservation Imperatives Site:
Yes
Ecological History
The Northwestern Andean montane forests ecoregion extends along the Cordillera Occidental (Western Range) of the Andes in Colombia and the Cordillera Occidental of Ecuador. It covers an area of 8,132,562 hectares (20,096,000 acres). In the extreme north the ecoregion merges into the Magdalena–Urabá moist forests ecoregion. Through most of its length in Colombia it transitions on the west into the Chocó–Darién moist forests and on the east into the Cauca Valley montane forests. The higher levels of the ecoregion give way to Northern Andean páramo. It almost completely surrounds the Patía Valley dry forests. In its southern section the ecoregion transitions into the Western Ecuador moist forests to the west and the Eastern Cordillera Real montane forests to the east. The southern end of the ecoregion transitions into the Tumbes–Piura dry forests ecoregion.
The ecoregion is in the neotropical realm, in the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome. It is part of the Northern Andean Montane Forests global ecoregion. This ecoregion contains the Magdalena Valley montane forests, Venezuelan Andes montane forests, Northwestern Andean montane forests, Cauca Valley montane forests, Cordillera Oriental montane forests, Santa Marta montane forests, and Eastern Cordillera Real montane forests terrestrial ecoregions. The cooling during glacial periods isolated plants and animals adapted to warmer climates into isolated pockets, while the cooler zones expanded and became connected. During the warmer inter-glacial periods the warmer zones rose higher and reconnected, while the cooler zones became isolated. The result was steady formation of new species, creating high levels both of diversity and endemism.
