The newly protected land, acquired in collaboration with local partner Fundación Bioconservancy, expands the Mesenia-Paramillo Nature Reserve, a key site within the Western Andes region. The parcel includes over 600 acres of intact high-elevation cloud forest, which will remain under permanent protection, and 247 acres designated for reforestation.
The reforestation component will introduce more than 16,000 native tree species, helping to repair degraded areas and establish ecological connectivity between isolated habitats. These restoration efforts support a broader corridor-based conservation model increasingly adopted across global biodiversity hotspots.
The Western Andes serve as a vital refuge for a range of wildlife, including species unique to the region and several at-risk migratory birds. Among the endemic fauna are threatened amphibians and the spectacled bear, the only bear species native to South America.
The area also provides crucial overwintering habitat for North American migratory birds. By protecting and linking forest patches, the project enhances survival prospects for these species, many of which face habitat loss across their migration routes.
The Western Andes are increasingly impacted by land conversion, particularly from commercial avocado plantations, which are rapidly transforming natural forest into agricultural zones. These activities fragment wildlife habitats, disrupt ecosystem services, and reduce the capacity of species to adapt.
At higher elevations, many organisms are already living near their physiological limits. According to Dr. Stuart Pimm, President of Saving Nature, the added pressure of climate variability underscores the urgency of establishing wildlife corridors to support species migration and genetic flow.
Since initiating their partnership in 2013, Saving Nature and Fundación Bioconservancy have secured over 5,400 acres of ecologically significant terrain in the region. Hundreds more acres have been reforested, contributing to a larger-scale goal of constructing a 100,000-hectare (approximately 247,000 acres) conservation corridor.
The initiative combines land acquisition, native habitat restoration, and stakeholder collaboration to address both immediate threats and structural conservation challenges. By integrating science-based land management with on-the-ground implementation, the project offers a replicable model for landscape-scale conservation in other high-risk environments.
