Biodiversity in Ecuador

Ecuador is one of the ten most biodiverse countries in the world, while containing a land mass not much larger than Switzerland. The country is home to approximately 20,000 species of plants, about a quarter of which are endemic to Ecuador. However, deforestation and degradation of the Amazon forests is threatening Ecuador´s biodiversity, in fact, Ecuador often ranks highest in deforestation rates of all Amazonian countries. In the Ecuadorian Amazon one can find thousands of hectares of degraded pasture lands, due to cattle ranching, erosion, and poor soil quality. The restoration of damaged ecosystems is a complex effort that includes hands-on work and attention to the natural environment.

Who are we?

We are a botanical garden located in the Ecuadorian Amazon, just outside of the city of Puyo. The garden is a small forest reserve where we are restoring orchids and endangered plants of the Amazon. We have a visitor centre filled with photos of the insects and animals that have returned to the forest since the inception of the garden. For thirty years now we have been studying the restoration process in this sample plot of Amazonian forest. The reserve exists in a parcel of land that had previously been used for cattle ranching, for this reason the soil was significantly degraded and eroded, requiring years of manual labour of restoration. After almost 30 years, the garden is now a healthy functioning forest, complete with almost all levels of the food chain. Orchids flower throughout the year, incredible arrays of spiders and insects come every night to pollinate the flowers and hunt their prey, and occasionally we even spot otters, armadillos, and monkeys. Every morning we wake up to parrots, tanagers, and hummingbirds fluttering around the edges of the park.

What can you do?

Activities for volunteers and interns:
-- Design a curriculum for school groups to be used in the interpretive center
-- Design teaching materials for kids and student groups
-- Prepare compost, maintain trails
-- Assist in cultivation of farm plot and ornamental flower greenhouse
-- Help with photography catalogue and identification of photos
-- Look for birds registered on the garden´s bird list
-- Write profiles of the garden on various web sites (Ecuadorian and international organizations of botanical gardens, orchid societies, etc.)
-- Start a catalogue of the orchid flowering calendar and subsequent pollinators

Details

Volunteers and interns should be able to speak an intermediate level of Spanish, and have interest in biology and ecotourism. We ask for a contribution of $80 USD per week for room and board, which includes three meals a day and lodging in a small cabin at the garden. (USD is the currency of Ecuador). We recommend that volunteers and interns stay a minimum of one month in order to get the most out of their stay. Email us a letter of interest detailing your experience and reasons why you want to work with us.
jblorquideas@gmail.com