Estacion Cientifica Los Cedros

Los Cedros is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. Located three hours northwest of Quito, Ecuador in the cloud forest region of Íntag, the 6,400 hectare protected forest is considered a biological “hot spot.” It is home to thousands of species, including many that are endemic to the region and at least 28 bird and mammal species in danger of extinction. Los Cedros is also one of the few places left on Earth where the water is so clean that you can gulp it straight from the stream. The forest provides important ecological services to the surrounding communities, including carbon capture, agricultural products, and, of course, fresh drinking water.

This paradise, however, is under attack. Los Cedros is named for its cedar trees, and small bandit groups of loggers are cutting down precious tropical timber at an alarming rate. José DeCoux, the forest administrator and the founder of the Los Cedros Scientific Station, estimates that up to 20 truckloads of illegally harvested wood leave the area for markets in Quito every week. In the summer of 2011, DeCoux started the process of crafting a new forest management plan that emphasizes the role of community groups in working with the Ecuadorian Ministry of Environment to protect this ecologically invaluable reserve. One of the communities’ main goals is to promote ecotourism and scientific investigation in Los Cedros. Both of these activities strengthen an economy that relies on the forest’s preservation rather than its destruction.