I collaborate with local communities and landowners to promote lasting conservation solutions in tropical forests.

Fundación para la Conservación de los Andes Tropicales (FCAT)

I have worked with an Ecuadorian NGO, Fundación para la Conservación de los Andes Topicales (FCAT), since 2014 and was voted in as an active member in 2017. Based in northwestern Ecuador, the FCAT team is comprised of Ecuadorian biologists and conservation practitioners as well as international researchers. As a foundation, we work to conserve tropical rainforest in northwest Ecuador through community engaged research, environmental education, and outreach. I have been fortunate to contribute to FCAT’s work through grant writing, collaborating on ecological research projects, and training local biologists. In 2017, I coordinated, planned, and ran two, two-day intensive workshops at three different field sites, each involved with three different conservation organizations. At each site, I helped train local staff members (twelve people in total) in how to establish ecological monitoring techniques and collect and enter field data.

Notably, FCAT has recently purchased land and established a biological field station and reserve to continue to develop conservation efforts in the region.

To find out more about our work, check out our website here!

El Refugio del Gavilán

Eco-tourism is a viable conservation solution in northwest Ecuador and can provide local families with economic alternatives to deforestation. The Gavilanez family is dedicated to conserving the tracts of primary and secondary forest on their property. Since 2014 I have worked with the this family to establish and run the Refugio del Gavilán, an eco-tourism lodge. The Refugio attracts volunteers from around the world who look to support their conservation efforts and interact with the local communities. I have worked closely with the Gavilanez family to develop volunteer and visitor experiences and coordinate their visits.

Find out more about the Refugio here!