In the South of Esmeraldas province there is an area where many farmers are conscious enough that they are conserving large parts of their land as a private habitat reserve. They have come together with the hope of organizing their land as a formally protected area with a sustainable management plan.
This seems like the most positive and sustainable way of preserving land in Ecuador now-a-days, since many of its species exist only outside national parks and reserves, and even if they did the government does little to protect those areas.
For the Project to go ahead, topographic work and environmental surveys are required. This must be followed by planning and training of the country folk on the new management programmes which may include the elaboration of forest products, tourism and research collaboration.
