The Ecuadorian Rainforest

A forest in isolation

Cut off from the rest of the Amazon by the Andes, The Chocó region’s Rainforest, in the Awacachi Corridor, Ecuador, is one of the most biodiverse on the planet. It’s home to rare species such as the Great Green Macaw and the Brown-headed Spider Monkey.

Like many rainforest communities, the people living in the Awacachi Corridor were facing increasing threats and mounting pressure from palm oil cultivation and logging activities.

The Chocó rainforest

Cool Earth’s Awacachi Corridor Project began in 2008 with a simple goal. Protect more than 55,000 acres of Chocó rainforest in Ecuador. In order to achieve this, we worked together with NGO Fauna & Flora International to partner with four local communities to protect 900,000 acres of protected Ecuadorian rainforest.

The Launch of People-Powered Projects

Providing alternative options away from logging that bring in cash relieves the pressure on local people. Through our People Powered projects, we were able to develop and diversify income streams so that we could address poverty for communities in the Awacachi Corridor. This ensured that people didn’t have to give up their resources, including the forest itself, to survive. These projects included cacao production, benefiting 40 families, and the sale of handicrafts.

This forest is valuable in terms of both economics and biodiversity. To better understand both the threats and the biological value in order to foster positive community relationships, a team of community rangers were employed to monitor and report on both illegal activities and the plant and animal life in the area, on behalf of their communities.

People-Powered Projects continue

Cash generation eases financial hardship. People-powered projects such as sustainable income generation, food security and education can help stop the need to sell rainforest as a last resort for much-needed cash. Creating new ways of making cash and improving circumstances means pressure on rainforests is relieved.

While the Awacachi Corridor Project is completed, livelihood and income generation projects continue within our current partnerships. Find out more about the projects happening right now here.