We are an initiative in which the AMARU Foundation has been developing actions to establish protection of Amazon rainforest spaces in the megadiverse area of San José de Morona since 2021. Since 2023, we have partnered with talented private sector conservationists, such as Bosques Vivos, who are committed to the defense of nature and the sustainable, social, and harmonious development of local human populations. This initiative prioritizes the protection and sustainable management of the last remaining Amazonian lowland tropical forests in southern Ecuador and this important cross-border area with Peru.
We project ourselves as an urgent response to the accelerated and dramatic loss of biodiversity and the fundamental need to promote one more protected area to support the global strategy of ensuring the 30x30 goal. We also seek to address the establishment of a conservation model that involves local communities as key actors in the protection of territory and the use of natural resources through their practices and lifestyles in tune with the care of biodiversity.
This region, located in the binational Morona River basin, is home to one of the last remaining expanses of tropical rainforest in the south of the country. The foothill forests of the Shaime mountain range are unique because they are considered centers of endemism from an evolutionary perspective. They exhibit a biological diversity that rivals emblematic areas such as Yasuní National Park and Cuyabeno, home to endemic, endangered, and scientifically new species.
Historically, this territory has been a space of great social and geopolitical complexity. During the 20th century, evangelization marked an important milestone with the arrival of the first Catholic missions in the 1940s, which intensified in the following decades and transformed the relationship of indigenous communities with their environment. Furthermore, this area was the scene of armed conflicts between Ecuador and Peru, which limited development and conservation processes for decades.
Today, in a context of peace and binational cooperation, borders have been consolidated, and opportunities for cross-border collaboration in conservation are more present than ever. Selva Eterna represents not only a protected refuge for biodiversity, but also a symbol of integration, reconciliation, and hope for the southern Ecuadorian Amazon.
SELVA ETERNA NATURAL RESERVE
What is Global Goal 30x30?
It is a global goal, supported by governments, NGOs, environmental conservation organizations and associations, and zoos and aquariums around the world, to protect at least 30% of our planet's land and water areas for wildlife by 2030.
Learn more in the following video: