Conservation Area in Ecuador, Expanded by more than 109,000 Acres

The Loja Municipal Conservation and Sustainable Use Area in the Ecuadorian Andes, originally declared in late 2020 with AAF support, was expanded on June 14, 2022 to include an additional 109,279 acres, bringing the area’s total to 182,980 acres.

Located on the southeastern slopes of the Andes, the Loja Municipal Conservation and Sustainable Use Area encompasses cloud and montane forests and paramo grasslands. Its vast landscape is home to thousands of species, from large mammals like the Oncilla (Leopardus tigrinus) to small birds such as the blue-throated hillstar hummingbird (Oreotrochilus cyanolaemus). The area boasts high levels of biodiversity including numerous endemic species, meaning those found only in this specific region.

The institutional alliance between the local government, FORAGUA, NCI and AAF has managed to make Loja the first municipality in Ecuador that has identified, characterized and protected almost all of its water supply sources for consumption by its population.

Marcelo Guevara, Andes Amazon Fund Program Officer

By protecting the forests and grasslands within Loja, the area will safeguard 72 water sources vital to its 200,000 inhabitants and help protect native ecosystems from expanding agriculture, mining, and other threats. It will also reduce the likelihood of droughts and floods, both of which are growing more common as a changing climate becomes another threat to our ecosystems.

The expansion extends into the buffer zones of Podocarpus National Park and Yacuri National Park,both renowned for their biological richness. By linking these protected areas, the Loja Municipal Conservation and Sustainable Use Area expansion establishes habitat connectivity essential for the long-term survival of far-ranging species. This landscape now encompasses four protected areas created with AAF support (Loja, Catamayo, Quilanga and Espíndola) that conserves a network of habitats essential for biodiversity.

Andes Amazon Fund would like to congratulate our grantee Nature and Culture International (NCI) on this incredible accomplishment achieved along with the municipality of Loja and FORAGUA, the municipal water fund in southern Ecuador. Further financial support was provided by the Wyss Foundation and Art into Acres via Re:Wild.