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URGENT: Protect Los Cedros Biological Reserve

This stunning 17,000 acre tropical cloud forest reserve is under threat & needs your support now!

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URGENT: Protect Los Cedros Biological Reserve

URGENT: Protect Los Cedros Biological Reserve

URGENT: Protect Los Cedros Biological Reserve

URGENT: Protect Los Cedros Biological Reserve

URGENT: Protect Los Cedros Biological Reserve

This stunning 17,000 acre tropical cloud forest reserve is under threat & needs your support now!

This stunning 17,000 acre tropical cloud forest reserve is under threat & needs your support now!

This stunning 17,000 acre tropical cloud forest reserve is under threat & needs your support now!

This stunning 17,000 acre tropical cloud forest reserve is under threat & needs your support now!

Jennifer Metz
Jennifer Metz
Jennifer Metz
Jennifer Metz
3 Campaigns |
Chontal, Ecuador
$12,387 USD by 77 backers
$12,287 USD by 76 backers on Jun 17, 2015
Highlights
Mountain Filled 3 Projects Mountain Filled 3 Projects

With the eerie and distant bellowing of the Howler Monkeys just overhead, you spy Orchids and Bromeliads in every direction...A Giant Strangler Fig engulfs the remnants of a forgotten Cecropria tree. The wind from the waterfall refreshes like no other, and crisp swirling pools quench your thirst after an all day hike. You take a sip as you plunge in to the cold clean waters of which you drink...! You laugh with your friend and smile deeply at each other as you both know ...THIS is Los Cedros.

Los Cedros Biological Reserve consists of 17,000 acres of premontane wet tropical and cloud forest in Northwestern Ecuador.  Of this, 2,650 acres is formerly colonized (now reforested) land, while the remainder is primary forest. The reserve is a southern buffer zone for the 450,000 acre Cotocachi-Cayapas Ecological Reserve and both are part of the Choco Phytogeographical Zone. The Choco region is perhaps the most biologically diverse and endemic habitat on Earth. Researchers are still finding new and undescribed species yearly in Los Cedros – most recently a new species of frog discovered in the reserve named Pristimantis Mutabilis which is the first reptile which can change the texture of its skin back and forth from all warts to slippery smooth in minutes. A new phenomenon to science.

A dedicated group of forest activists, lead by reserve creator Jose DeCoux, has managed and protected the LCBR for the last 26 years and counting.  This biodiversity gem would have long ago succumbed to deforestation, pastures, cows and corn if it weren't for the continued presence of this team. The constant search for new arable land for subsistence agriculture and illegal logging would have turned this rich and magical forest ecosystem to a simple pasture.

Flora and Fauna

It is known that there are over 240 species of birds in the reserve. Tanagers, Hawks, Eagles, Parrots, Owls, and Toucans to name but a few. Over a dozen species of hummingbirds whizz around throughout the forest, some only an inch long. The stunning Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, the Toucan Barbett, and the colourful Golden Headed Quetzal make their home here.

Click here for Birdlife International’s entry for Los Cedros 

Encompassing thousands of species, the invertebrates dominate the faunal biomass. In Los Cedros there are over 900 species of nocturnal moths most with amazing wing patterns and colours. There are also thousands of species of butterflies, ants, beetles, spiders, and bees. Often seen is the Pepsis Wasp (Hercules Wasp), and it may be dragging a tarantula home to serve as a living nest for its young. The largest cockroach in the world lives here, along with the first aquatic cockroach found in South America . The reserve is also home to several species each of snakes, lizards and frogs which are often seen but have been little researched.

Evidence in the form of scat, tracks, cameras and the occasional sighting provide the assurance that five species of felines roam their territories here in the reserve. Common names are the Jaguarundi, Margay, Oncilla, Puma, and Jaguar. In the morning, along with the chorus of birds, you are likely to be woken by the Mantled Howler Monkey. He is the loudest, so can often be heard, and sometimes seen, in the canopy. The two other primates are the White-Throated Capuchins and the rare Brown-Headed Spider Monkey. The only species of South American bear, the Spectacled Bear, inhabits the higher elevations of the reserve and is seen on occasion. Other mammals include the Opossum, Nine-Banded Armadillo, Kinkajou, Tayra, Southern River Otter, Collared Peccary, Red Brocket Deer, Paca, Agouti, Spiny Pocket Mouse, Bicolo-Spined Porcupine, Western Dwarf Squirrel, and Red-Tailed Squirrel.

Abundant tree species include Copal, Madrono, Avocatillo, Strangler Fig and Podocarpus and the Cedars that give the reserve its name.  Fifty more tree species  have been identified, but this represents only a small fraction of the diversity present in the area. The dense forest floor and understory is a thick web of buttress roots, lianas, vines, prop roots, drop roots, and decomposing plant material. Characteristic of a cloud forest, the trees on the ridge lines are more stunted in size and laden with masses of luxuriant ephiphytes, with a more open canopy allowing a thicker and richer understory.

Also strong through the upper story are climbing philodendrons, bromeliads, heliconia, and cyclanthaceae. The area is especially rich in orchidaceae, with 190 species identified, with a predicted (by Cal Dodson) 200 yet to be discovered.


Why we need your help

The Ecuadorian government has stepped in with an ill-conceived and poorly executed update to the management plan for the reserve. Since the reserve’s inception, the staff has worked hard to build trust and communication with the local community through workshops and education and jobs in the reserve.  Our boundaries have been carefully managed with dedicated neighbors of the reserve creating allies in the protection and management of this biodiversity hotspot. 

Now illegal hunting, mining and forest conversion have picked up around the reserve and we fear for what could happen, for the magic we could lose, the forest that we love, the project we have built for the last quarter of a century.

What We Need 

We need to raise $12,000 immediately to be able to re-survey the boundaries of the reserve and for our staff to have the living expenses to be able to travel to Ibarra and Quito to meet with government officials to advocate for the integrity of the reserve.  

Patrol must be hired to assist the community members who watch the trails for illegal logging and hunting. 

We also need to maintain all that we have built to house volunteers, researchers and tourists that are the backbone of the monthly support for the reserve’s management. 

These are the kinds of expenses that are incredibly hard to raise for a small, grassroots NGO.  This campaign can make a huge difference in the future of neotropical biodiversity conservation.

  • If you would like to make a substancial donation please note that your donations are tax-deductible via the Los Cedros Umbrella foundation,  Ancient Forests International. For information please contact burningleaf@asis.com.

PERKS for Contributing

$100:  Murray Cooper Print of the Forests of Los Cedros

8x10 print of the Forests of Los Cedros photographed by Internationally known wildlife photographer Murray Cooper who lived in Los Cedros for eight years and continues to support the reserve as a trusted friend and advisor.

$250 Collection of Murray Cooper 8x10 prints

Receive a collection of five Murray Cooper 8x10 prints of Los Cedros Flora and Fauna.  

$500 Los Cedros, The Movie

Receive a High Definition download or DVD of this beautiful documentary by Italian/Australian film maker David Nicastro and narrated by John Seed (Trailer for movie shown above).

A beautiful documentary by Italian/Australian film maker David Nicastro and narrated by John Seed has just been released to help in the education and  awareness of Los Cedros. The movie celebrates the unique wildlife and the efforts to protect Ecuador’s last intact forested watersheds from illegal logging, mining and degradation.

Words from David Nicastro, Director of feature film Los Cedros :

“Over nine weeks of filming in the cloud forests of Northwest Ecuador we captured a seemingly endless amount of stunning flora and fauna. To our dismay, we also filmed illegal loggers and pastoralists destroying the remaining primary forests nearby. All we could do was film and bear witness. What started out as a wildlife documentary quickly turned into something much bigger.”

“It is hoped that this film will raise the international profile of Los Cedros Biological Reserve, its incredible biodiversity and the threats to its survival. This film is a call to action. Visit these magical places, if you can, volunteer." 
$750 Canvas Print 
"Receive a 12x12 Canvas Print of original painting by Jennifer Metz “Mariposas de Los Cedros" 

$1000 Your Name Engraved in Los Cedros

Your name will be engraved on a plaque at The Los Cedros Reserve center to remind all who visit of your generosity.

$5000 Three night stay and guided tour 

We will guide you along with long term resident staff to the most beautiful place on the planet! We will host you for three nights and take you on the adventure of a lifetime to giant trees and waterfalls in the depths of this lush and rich cloud forest. (airfare not included)

Other Ways You Can Help

If you can't contribute money, please help by passing this on to others:

  • Get the word out to absolutely everyone you can. Acting now is incredibly important – the threats are real and imminent, but there are real solutions to protect this amazing and diverse place on the planet.
  • Use the Indiegogo share tools, and send this out to everyone you know, via Facebook, Twitter, and email. Let's go viral!
  • Host a movie night. Contact us to get the Los Cedros movie out to the world so that we can educate others about its immense beauty and diversity .
  • If you would like to make a substancial donation please note that your donations are tax-deductible via Ancient Forests International. For information please contact burningleaf@asis.com.
  • For More information:    http://reservaloscedros.org                 https://www.facebook.com/cloudforestloscedros?f...


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Choose your Perk

Recognition and Thanks

$25 USD
Let us thank you endlessly! On Face Book , Twitter, Instagram....You name it, we will thank you!!!
6 claimed

Plant of Mindo

$75 USD
This unique field guide by Tobias Policha is useful throughout the montane forests of the neotropics. Based in the Andean Choco of northwest Ecuador it illustrates almost 400 species, representing over 100 families of common plants. Bilingual, with almost 700 photos, it is a useful reference for students, botanists, naturalists, guides, scientists, and tourists.
Estimated Shipping
August 2015
4 claimed

Murray Cooper Print

$100 USD
Internationally known wildlife photographer Murray Cooper lived in Los Cedros for eight years and continues to support the reserve as a trusted friend and advisor. Receive an 8x10 print of the Forests of Los Cedros and Let us thank you endlessly! On Face Book , Twitter, Instagram....You name it, we will thank you!!! http://www.murraycooperphoto.com/client/?p=about
Estimated Shipping
August 2015
7 claimed

Murray Cooper Print Collection

$250 USD
Internationally known wildlife photographer Murray Cooper lived in Los Cedros for eight years and continues to support the reserve as a trusted friend and advisor. Receive a collection of five Murray Cooper 8x10 prints of Los Cedros Flora and Fauna, and our Gratitude as we thank you endlessly! On Face Book , Twitter, Instagram....You name it, we will thank you!!!
Estimated Shipping
August 2015
3 claimed

Los Cedros, The Movie

$500 USD
Receive a High Definition download or DVD of this beautiful documentary by Italian/Australian film maker David Nicastro and narrated by John Seed . AND A collection of five Murray Cooper 8x10 prints of Los Cedros Flora and Fauna, AND our Gratitude as we thank you endlessly! On Face Book , Twitter, Instagram....You name it, we will thank you!!!
Estimated Shipping
August 2015
2 claimed

“ Mariposas de Los Cedros"

$750 USD
Receive a 12x12 Canvas Print of original painting by Jennifer Metz “ Mariposas de Los Cedros" AND a High Definition download or DVD of this beautiful documentary by Italian/Australian film maker David Nicastro and narrated by John Seed . AND A collection of five Murray Cooper 8x10 prints of Los Cedros Flora and Fauna, AND our Gratitude as we thank you endlessly! On Face Book , Twitter, Instagram....You name it, we will thank you!!!
Estimated Shipping
August 2015
2 claimed

Name Engraved at LCBR

$1,000 USD
Your name will be engraved on a plaque at The Los Cedros Reserve center to remind all who visit of your generosity. AND a High Definition download or DVD of this beautiful documentary by Italian/Australian film maker David Nicastro and narrated by John Seed . AND A collection of five Murray Cooper 8x10 prints of Los Cedros Flora and Fauna, AND our Gratitude as we thank you endlessly! On Face Book , Twitter, Instagram....You name it, we will thank you!!!
1 claimed

Guided Tour of Los Cedros

$5,000 USD
We will guide you along with long term resident staff to the most beautiful place on the planet! We will host you for three nights and take you on an adventure of a lifetime to giant trees and waterfalls in depth of the lush and rich cloud forest. (airfare not included) Your name will be engraved on a plaque at The Los Cedros Reserve center to remind all who visit of your generosity. A High Definition download or DVD of Los Cedros Collection of Murray Cooper 8x10 prints Our Gratitude!
Estimated Shipping
January 2016
0 claimed

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