Faces of sustainable development and climate change

Finding Species has guided education and conservation initiatives into the dry forests of the central and southern coast of Ecuador. They promoted an appreciation of natural resources, beyond the goods and services these ecosystems provide.

Finding Species has highlighted the importance of watersheds in the eastern foothills of the Andes.  These watersheds are major resources to the Napo River, which flows into the Amazon River.

Coastal and marine ecosystems ensue intense pressure from overexploitation of natural resources and waste accumulation.

Finding Species maintained a project that sought to document the avifauna associated with high Andean wetlands that were immersed in four protected areas around Quito, Ecuador. The project established a methodology for rapidly monitoring the status of the wetland birds, which shares this vital water supply with Quito

The vegetation found in Ecuador’s highland páramo forms a unique environment that favors on one side, carbon buildup, and on the other, the complete regulation of the water cycle.

Andean rivers are born from water seeping through the páramo, which is the main source of drinking water for the highlands of Ecuador. Quality water is consumed by people and used for agriculture, transportation, recreation and every day use.