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	<channel>
		<title>Conservation news</title>
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		<link>https://news.mongabay.com/list/choco-forest/</link>
		<description>Environmental science and conservation news</description>
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	<title>Choco Forest environmental news</title>
	<link>https://news.mongabay.com/list/choco-forest/</link>
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				<item>
					<title>In Ecuador’s Chocó, roads shape the fate of the rainforest</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/in-ecuadors-choco-roads-shape-the-fate-of-the-rainforest/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/in-ecuadors-choco-roads-shape-the-fate-of-the-rainforest/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 Feb 2026 19:05:01 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Maxwell Radwin]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Alexandra Popescu]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/02/06153811/DJI_20250923101309_0020_V-2-768x450.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=313840</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Choco Forest, Ecuador, Latin America, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Deforestation, Environment, Forests, Governance, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Infrastructure, Land Conflict, Land Rights, Protected Areas, Rainforests, Roads, and Tropical Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[HOJA BLANCO, Ecuador — Some parts of the rainforest in northwestern Ecuador used to be so dense and impenetrable that only a few hundred people were believed to live there. Even when loggers moved into the area in the 1980s and 1990s, setting up the first roads, it would take hours to travel only a [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[HOJA BLANCO, Ecuador — Some parts of the rainforest in northwestern Ecuador used to be so dense and impenetrable that only a few hundred people were believed to live there. Even when loggers moved into the area in the 1980s and 1990s, setting up the first roads, it would take hours to travel only a few miles. It’s one of the rainiest regions on the planet, and the terrain rises sharply into the western Andes before dropping off into rivers and valleys. Because it was so inaccessible, the area remained one of the most biodiverse on the planet, with thousands of endemic plant species and hundreds of birds and amphibians. But in recent decades, much of that biodiversity has been lost. The region, known as the Chocó, has experienced historic deforestation, with only around 3% of its lower-elevation forest — below 900 meters (3,000 feet) — still remaining. In one area of the Chocó, in Esmeraldas province, the rise in deforestation coincided with the arrival of timber companies like Endesa-Botrosa, which built some of the first roads while logging the forest. Even when the companies reduced their work in the area a few years ago, deforestation continued to pose a major threat — largely because the companies left behind roads that people want to extend, conservation groups in the area say. Today, many of the roads that used to take hours to navigate are relatively clean and patched up, allowing people from other parts of the country to move in.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/in-ecuadors-choco-roads-shape-the-fate-of-the-rainforest/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/in-ecuadors-choco-roads-shape-the-fate-of-the-rainforest/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-313840</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>How a group in Ecuador protects 10% of the world&#8217;s bird species</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/12/how-a-group-in-ecuador-protects-10-of-the-worlds-bird-species/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/12/how-a-group-in-ecuador-protects-10-of-the-worlds-bird-species/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 Dec 2023 00:01:05 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rhett Ayers Butler]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2023/12/08234145/Petrel-chick_Galapagos_James-Muchmore-2023-header-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=276508</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Amazon, Andes, Choco Forest, Ecuador, Galapagos, Latin America, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Birds, Conservation, Conservation Solutions, Environment, Forests, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Indigenous Peoples, Interviews, Interviews with conservation players, Private Reserves, Protected Areas, Rainforests, Solutions, Tropical Forests, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In 1997, ornithologist Robert S. Ridgely discovered a previously undocumented bird species, the Jocotoco Antpitta (Grallaria ridgelyi), in the tropical montane forests on the Amazonian slope of the Andes in southeastern Ecuador. This ground-dwelling bird was immediately recognized as critically endangered due to its very small range and the threats to its habitat, which led [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In 1997, ornithologist Robert S. Ridgely discovered a previously undocumented bird species, the Jocotoco Antpitta (Grallaria ridgelyi), in the tropical montane forests on the Amazonian slope of the Andes in southeastern Ecuador. This ground-dwelling bird was immediately recognized as critically endangered due to its very small range and the threats to its habitat, which led to the establishment of the Jocotoco Foundation in 1998 and the subsequent purchase of land for the creation of the Tapichalaca Reserve. Since then, Jocotoco has established a network of 15 reserves across Ecuador. Each reserve has been selected to protect areas that are globally significant for bird conservation, ranging from the lowlands of the Amazon rainforest to the Galapagos Islands. These reserves safeguard a vast number of regionally endemic and globally threatened plants and animals, including 10% of the world&#8217;s bird species. Jocotoco antpitta (Grallaria ridgelyi). Photo credit: Franco Mendoza Mountain tapir in Tapichalaca reserve. Photo credit: Nicolas Devos Beyond preserving habitats critical for endangered bird species and other wildlife, Jocotoco has integrated ecotourism, community engagement and education, and scientific research and monitoring into its conservation strategy. The organization works closely with local communities to promote conservation awareness and sustainable practices. Additionally, its ecotourism programs generate employment opportunities and revenue for people living around their reserves. Martin Schaefer, Jocotoco&#8217;s head, discussed the group&#8217;s adaptive approach with Mongabay: &#8220;For each species, we analyze its threats, assessing whether Jocotoco can make a difference and to what extent. Then, we determine the best approach. Sometimes, working with&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2023/12/how-a-group-in-ecuador-protects-10-of-the-worlds-bird-species/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/12/how-a-group-in-ecuador-protects-10-of-the-worlds-bird-species/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-276508</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Sound recordings and AI tell us if forests are recovering, new study from Ecuador shows</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/sound-recordings-and-ai-tell-us-if-forests-are-recovering-new-study-from-ecuador-shows/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/sound-recordings-and-ai-tell-us-if-forests-are-recovering-new-study-from-ecuador-shows/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Oct 2023 19:05:18 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2019/08/28142158/manu_0231_1920X1280-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=274548</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andes, Choco Forest, Ecuador, Latin America, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Artificial Intelligence, Bioacoustics, Biodiversity, Conservation, Conservation Technology, Critically Endangered Species, Deforestation, Endangered Species, Environment, Forests, Green, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Protected Areas, Rainforest Destruction, Rainforests, Reforestation, Remote Sensing, Technology, Trees, and Wildtech]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Does planting trees bring back the animals? Around the world, people are working to restore forests, either by planting trees or allowing the flora to return naturally. But as the trees grow, it can be difficult to determine if communities of birds, bugs, frogs, and other life forms are also rebounding. In the Chocó of [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Does planting trees bring back the animals? Around the world, people are working to restore forests, either by planting trees or allowing the flora to return naturally. But as the trees grow, it can be difficult to determine if communities of birds, bugs, frogs, and other life forms are also rebounding. In the Chocó of northwestern Ecuador, one of the most biodiverse rainforests in the world, a group of German and Ecuadorian scientists measured biodiversity recovery across different land types, including active pastures and farms, abandoned farms regrowing into young secondary forests, and mature old-growth forests. Using a combination of acoustic monitoring and DNA-based surveys, the team found that species were returning to the regenerating forests after just a couple of decades. Old-growth Chocó forest on Jocotoco&#8217;s Canandé reserve. Photo by Javier Aznar. “We can see how the Chocó rainforest reestablishes itself over time. Within 25 years, you get a lot of species back,” Martin Schaefer, one of the study’s co-authors and the director of the Ecuadorian NGO Jocotoco Foundation, told Mongabay. “It’s a positive message that we need to bring to the public&#8230; Over just three decades, forests are regrowing.” The researchers also found that analyzing animal and insect sounds yields information about the overall biodiversity of the forest, including the silent creatures that don’t sing, call, chirp, or squawk. Sound-based monitoring using artificial intelligence tools is a powerful and cost-effective technique for monitoring biodiversity recovery in tropical forests and, the authors say, these tools are needed &#8220;to support&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/sound-recordings-and-ai-tell-us-if-forests-are-recovering-new-study-from-ecuador-shows/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/sound-recordings-and-ai-tell-us-if-forests-are-recovering-new-study-from-ecuador-shows/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-274548</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Between six ferns: New tropical fern species described by science</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/07/between-six-ferns-new-tropical-fern-species-described-by-science/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/07/between-six-ferns-new-tropical-fern-species-described-by-science/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Jul 2022 17:23:23 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2022/07/19163020/Danaea-quebradensis-768x512.png" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=258370</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Central America, Choco Forest, Colombia, Ecuador, Latin America, Panama, Peru, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Botany, Conservation, Endangered Species, Environment, Extinction, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Mammals, New Discovery, Plants, Research, Species Discovery, and Tropical Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Researchers have described six species of ferns new to science from the tropical forests of Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, all in the genus Danaea. “The described species are no tiny or unnoticeable creatures. They range from 20cm to 2m tall” — from 8-79 inches — “and some of them are very common locally,” Janina Keskiniva, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Researchers have described six species of ferns new to science from the tropical forests of Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, all in the genus Danaea. “The described species are no tiny or unnoticeable creatures. They range from 20cm to 2m tall” — from 8-79 inches — “and some of them are very common locally,” Janina Keskiniva, a doctoral researcher from the University of Turku in Finland who described the ferns in the journal Kew Bulletin, said in a statement. Danaea gracilis is a small (10cm) fern found along the Pacific coast from Ecuador through Colombia to southern Panama. The fern grows inside protected areas and appears to be relatively abundant with no looming threats to its subpopulations. Photo by Patrick Blanc from Keskiniva &amp; Tuomisto 2022 Although these species have just been formally described, most of them had been preserved as specimens going back years and even decades ago — some as far back as the 1800s. Botanists have long collected plants in the field and deposited them in a herbarium, a place where dried plant samples are kept for future studies and record keeping. Researchers digging through the old Danaea samples were researching ecology and evolution with the goal of understanding the biodiversity of Amazon ferns. Because tropical ferns are still poorly studied, this deep dive into the preserved ferns has yielded several new species. Danaea stricta, grows in Panama and on the Pacific side of the Andes in Colombia, in the Chocó region. This fern has only been collected in five locations,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2022/07/between-six-ferns-new-tropical-fern-species-described-by-science/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://news.mongabay.com/2022/07/between-six-ferns-new-tropical-fern-species-described-by-science/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-258370</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>World Rainforest Day: The world&#8217;s great rainforests</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/06/the-worlds-great-rainforests/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/06/the-worlds-great-rainforests/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 Jun 2020 00:10:59 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rhett Ayers Butler]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Rhett Butler]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/04/10171224/amazon_201482-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=231613</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Africa, Amazon, Asia, Australia, Borneo, Brazil, Central Africa, Choco Forest, Colombia, Congo Basin, Democratic Republic Of Congo, Ecuador, Indonesia, Latin America, Malaysia, New Guinea, Papua New Guinea, Peru, South America, Southeast Asia, Sumatra, and West Africa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Deforestation, Environment, Forests, Green, Rainforest Destruction, Rainforests, and Tropical Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Tropical rainforests have an outsized role in the world. Of the Earth’s ecosystems, rainforests support the largest variety of plants and animal species, house the majority of indigenous groups still living in isolation from the rest of humanity, and power the mightiest rivers. Rainforests lock up vast amounts of carbon, moderate local temperature, and influence [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Flooded forest in the Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler for Mongabay Tropical rainforests have an outsized role in the world. Of the Earth’s ecosystems, rainforests support the largest variety of plants and animal species, house the majority of indigenous groups still living in isolation from the rest of humanity, and power the mightiest rivers. Rainforests lock up vast amounts of carbon, moderate local temperature, and influence rainfall and weather patterns at regional and planetary scales. Despite their importance however, deforestation in the world&#8217;s tropical forests has remained persistently high since the 1980s due to rising human demand for food, fiber, and fuel and the failure to recognize the value of forests as healthy and productive ecosystems. Since 2002, an average of 3.2 million hectares of primary tropical forests—the most biodiverse and carbon-dense type of forest—have been destroyed per year. An even larger area of secondary forest is cleared or degraded. In recognition of World Rainforest Day 2020, which was launched in 2017 by Rainforest Partnership, below is a brief look at the state of the world&#8217;s largest remaining tropical rainforests. Note: All figures below are based on 2020 data from the University of Maryland (UMD) and World Resources Institute (WRI) using a 30% canopy cover threshold. Tree cover loss does not account for regrowth, reforestation, or afforestation. Blackwater lake, rainforest, and a whitewater river in the Amazon. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. The Amazon Rainforest The Amazon is the world&#8217;s largest and best known tropical rainforest. As measured by&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/06/the-worlds-great-rainforests/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-231613</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Harrowing video shows indigenous Colombians fleeing gunfire</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/05/harrowing-video-shows-indigenous-colombians-fleeing-gunfire/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2020/05/harrowing-video-shows-indigenous-colombians-fleeing-gunfire/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 May 2020 12:21:16 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ashoka Mukpo]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Ashoka]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[global forests]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2018/08/01112625/CMejiaGiraldo_PanamaIP_1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=230809</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Choco Forest, Colombia, Latin America, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Community Forests, Community-based Conservation, Conflict, Endangered Environmentalists, Forests, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Rainforests, and Tropical Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the midst of a national lockdown in Colombia, a dramatic video showing dozens of indigenous Emberá fleeing gunfire and heavy fighting by canoe in the country’s northwest emerged on May 20. The video, which was shared with Mongabay by the multimedia advocacy group If Not Us Then Who?, is a grim window into the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the midst of a national lockdown in Colombia, a dramatic video showing dozens of indigenous Emberá fleeing gunfire and heavy fighting by canoe in the country’s northwest emerged on May 20. The video, which was shared with Mongabay by the multimedia advocacy group If Not Us Then Who?, is a grim window into the violence that indigenous and Afro-Caribbean communities in the region have faced in recent years, and which may now be worsening amid the COVID-19 crisis. Filmed by an Emberá with a cell phone in the town of Catrú, the video shows panicked residents of the town hiding and rushing onto packed canoes at a nearby riverbank. In the background, the sound of automatic gunfire can be heard. Catrú is a small settlement in the remote, forested department of Chocó, not far from Medellín and the Panamanian border. Chocó has been the site of heavy clashes between armed groups looking to secure control of the region’s lucrative coca trade, trafficking routes, and artisanal gold mining industry. The National Liberation Army (ELN), one of Colombia’s oldest left-wing insurgent groups, has been embroiled in a bitter fight for control of the area with a rival paramilitary unit since a 2016 peace deal between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC) left a power vacuum in its wake. Trapped in the middle are the region’s indigenous and Afro-Caribbean communities, who have suffered the brunt of the fighting. The incident in Catrú follows a series of violent battles&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/05/harrowing-video-shows-indigenous-colombians-fleeing-gunfire/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-230809</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Successful Colombian rainforest project exposes problems with carbon emissions trading</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2017/04/successful-colombian-rainforest-project-exposes-problems-with-carbon-emissions-trading/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2017/04/successful-colombian-rainforest-project-exposes-problems-with-carbon-emissions-trading/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Apr 2017 05:46:37 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Bart Crezee]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Genevieve Belmaker]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2017/04/30123319/colombia_1861-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.mongabay.com/?p=194631</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Choco Forest, Colombia, Latin America, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Avoided Deforestation, carbon, Carbon Market, Carbon Offsets, Conservation, Conservation Finance, Forests, Indigenous Peoples, Payments For Ecosystem Services, Rainforests, and Redd]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Ferney Caicedo, a trained forest ranger, is slipping and sliding over the forest path while he leads a horse and a group of four other people up a hill. Rain from the night before has made the wooded slopes almost impossible to ascend. The humidity is high. Sweat drips constantly from underneath Caicedo’s cap. This [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Ferney Caicedo, a trained forest ranger, is slipping and sliding over the forest path while he leads a horse and a group of four other people up a hill. Rain from the night before has made the wooded slopes almost impossible to ascend. The humidity is high. Sweat drips constantly from underneath Caicedo’s cap. This is the tropical rainforest in the extreme northwest of Colombia. This is familiar terrain to Caicedo. On a clear day, he says that you can see the Caribbean Sea from atop the peak he is now climbing. In the other direction lies the border with Panama, somewhere in the impenetrable jungle of the isthmus connecting North and South America. Known as the Darién Gap, it runs between Colombia and Panama and is made up of marshland, mountains, and tropical rainforest. It’s the only still-unfinished part of the famous Pan-American Highway, which will someday connect North and South America. Although there have been plans to complete the road for years, so far the impenetrable jungle, as well as several rebel groups hiding out in it, have made it impossible. Caicedo and his team of colleagues work to protect the forests for COCOMASUR, short for “Consejo Comunitario Mayor de la Cuenca del Rio Tolo y la Zona Costera Sur de Acandí,” the community council of the Tolo River basin and the coastal zone south of Acandí. The organization represents 2,600 Afro-Colombians, or about half of the total population of the municipality of Acandí. These Colombians are descended&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2017/04/successful-colombian-rainforest-project-exposes-problems-with-carbon-emissions-trading/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-194631</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Conservationists propose Dracula Reserve in Ecuador</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2014/10/conservationists-propose-dracula-reserve-in-ecuador/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2014/10/conservationists-propose-dracula-reserve-in-ecuador/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Oct 2014 20:29:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Morgan Erickson-Davis]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Morgan Erickson-Davis]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2014/10/conservationists-propose-dracula-reserve-in-ecuador/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Choco Forest, Colombia, Ecuador, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Deforestation, Environment, Forests, Green, Habitat Loss, Orchids, Plants, Protected Areas, Rainforests, and Tropical Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Rainforest Trust holds Halloween drive to raise $28,000 towards purchase of 652 acres of Chocó forest Deep in the dark, cool forests of Ecuador live strange and mysterious organisms. Some inhabit the trees and others stay to the ground, and many are threatened by human encroachment. Because of this threat, Rainforest Trust has launched a [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Rainforest Trust holds Halloween drive to raise $28,000 towards purchase of 652 acres of Chocó forest Deep in the dark, cool forests of Ecuador live strange and mysterious organisms. Some inhabit the trees and others stay to the ground, and many are threatened by human encroachment. Because of this threat, Rainforest Trust has launched a Halloween fundraising drive to help pay for the creation of the Dracula Reserve&#8211;named for its dramatic inhabitant, the Dracula orchid. The Dracula Reserve would be located in Ecuadors&#8217;s portion of the Chocó Biogeographical Region, a strip of coastal rainforest extending from northwestern Ecuador up through Colombia. The region is regarded by scientists as one of the most biodiverse places in the world, with many unique species that evolved in isolation after the uprising of the Andes separated the region from the Amazon Basin millions of years ago. The Chocó Biogeographical Region runs along the coasts of Ecuador and Colombia. Ecuador&#8217;s Chocó is especially threatened, with only 10 percent of forests remaining intact and 5 percent of tree cover over lost from 2001 through 2013. The portion spaning the Ecuador/Colombia border near the proposed Dracula Reserve (yellow dot) has been especially affected, with 12 percent tree cover loss in some areas in just over a decade. Map courtesy of Global Forest Watch. Click to enlarge. Named for their fang-like petals and the blood-red hue of some species, Dracula orchids are a genus spanning Mexico to Peru and comprising 118 known species. Ninety percent of Dracula orchids&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2014/10/conservationists-propose-dracula-reserve-in-ecuador/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-24541</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>&#8216;A remarkable conservation achievement&#8217;: Ecuador reserve expands as forest disappears</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2014/10/a-remarkable-conservation-achievement-ecuador-reserve-expands-as-forest-disappears/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2014/10/a-remarkable-conservation-achievement-ecuador-reserve-expands-as-forest-disappears/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Oct 2014 19:12:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Morgan Erickson-Davis]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Morgan Erickson-Davis]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2014/10/a-remarkable-conservation-achievement-ecuador-reserve-expands-as-forest-disappears/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Choco Forest, Colombia, Ecuador, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Biodiversity Hotspots, Biofuels, Birds, Deforestation, Environment, Forests, Green, Habitat Loss, Logging, Rainforests, and Tropical Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Less than 10 percent of Ecuadorian Chocó forest remains, many endemic species under threat from development, logging A strip of rainforest running along the northwestern Ecuadorian coast and up through Colombia is one of the most biodiverse places in the world. Yet, less than 10 percent of Ecuador’s portion remains intact, with more forest lost [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Less than 10 percent of Ecuadorian Chocó forest remains, many endemic species under threat from development, logging A strip of rainforest running along the northwestern Ecuadorian coast and up through Colombia is one of the most biodiverse places in the world. Yet, less than 10 percent of Ecuador’s portion remains intact, with more forest lost every year to human development. But word came Oct. 7 that a little more has been saved for now, with a 500-hectare expansion of the Río Canandé Reserve. The Chocó Biogeographical Region spans 100,000 square kilometers (38,000 square miles) in western Colombia and northwestern Ecuador. Listed by Conservation International as one of its original 17 Conservation Hotspots, the humid forests of the Chocó are home to many threatened species that are endemic to the region and found nowhere else in the world. For instance, the Chocó boasts the highest number of endemic bird species in the Americas, according to Dr. Jordan Karubian of the Center for Tropical Research. The banded ground cuckoo (Neomorphus radiolosus) is found only in the Chocó forests of Colombia and Ecuador. It is listed by the IUCN as Endangered. The reason for the astounding diversity of the Chocó region, according to WWF, is the uprising of the Andes Mountains millions of years ago. The mountains acted as a barrier, isolating animals and plants in the coastal forests from those in the Amazon rainforest and allowing them to evolve into a wide array of new forms. But many of the area’s unique&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2014/10/a-remarkable-conservation-achievement-ecuador-reserve-expands-as-forest-disappears/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-24588</doi>				</item>
						<item>
					<title>Long and thin with a big head: new snake adds diversity to a bizarre group (photo)</title>
					<link>https://news.mongabay.com/2012/11/long-and-thin-with-a-big-head-new-snake-adds-diversity-to-a-bizarre-group-photo/</link>
					<comments>https://news.mongabay.com/2012/11/long-and-thin-with-a-big-head-new-snake-adds-diversity-to-a-bizarre-group-photo/#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Nov 2012 14:55:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Jeremy Hance]]>
					</author>
															<enclosure url="" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">http://news.mongabaydev.co.uk/2012/11/long-and-thin-with-a-big-head-new-snake-adds-diversity-to-a-bizarre-group-photo/</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Choco Forest, Ecuador, Latin America, and South America]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Environment, Forests, Green, Herps, Reptiles, Snakes, Species Discovery, Strange, and Tropical Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A live Imantodes chocoensis. Its head is about the size of an American penny. Photo by: Omar Torres-Carvajal et al. There&#8217;s no question that blunt-headed vine snakes are an odd lot: a thin body tapers into an even thinner neck which expands suddenly into a broad head with massive eyes. Until now only six species [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A live Imantodes chocoensis. Its head is about the size of an American penny. Photo by: Omar Torres-Carvajal et al. There&#8217;s no question that blunt-headed vine snakes are an odd lot: a thin body tapers into an even thinner neck which expands suddenly into a broad head with massive eyes. Until now only six species were recognized from this genus, known as Imantodes, but a new study in Zookeys describes a seventh species: Imantodes chocoensis from the Chocó Forests in northeastern Ecuador. The new species is distinct due to its lack of a loreal scale&#8212;a large scale on its head that all other blunt-headed vine snakes possess. Interestingly, the new species closest relative, the Amazon Basin tree snake (Imantodes lentiferus), is actually a mountain chain away: it&#8217;s found on the other side of the Andes in the Amazon rainforest. All blunt-headed vine snakes are night hunters, using their big eyes to track down lizards and frogs. &#8220;One possible explanation for the disjunct distribution between the new species and its closest relative is that the uplift of the Andes fragmented an ancestral population into two, each of which evolved into a different species, one in the Chocó region and the other in the Amazon,&#8221; explains lead author Omar Torres-Carvajal from Museo de Zoología QCAZ in a press release. The researchers believe the new species is also found in Colombia. The Imantodes chocoensis is named after its forest home, translating into the &#8220;Chocoan blunt-headed vine snake.&#8221; Resting between the Pacific and the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2012/11/long-and-thin-with-a-big-head-new-snake-adds-diversity-to-a-bizarre-group-photo/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
										<doi>https://doi.org/10.66709/news-29985</doi>				</item>
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