We were proud to support Rainforest Concern and their work to protect the Neblina Reserve in north-west Ecuador. This help support the continued expansion and protection of this extraordinary cloud forest, and we’re incredibly grateful to our customers for making this possible.
Who are Rainforest Concern?
Rainforest Concern is a British conservation charity founded in 1993. For more than 30 years, they have worked to protect threatened forests and habitats by partnering with local communities and conservation organisations. Their work spans countries including Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Suriname and India, with conservation projects focused on some of the world's most biodiverse and threatened ecosystems.
Rainforest Concern works with local communities, employs forest guards, supports environmental education and sustainable livelihoods, carries out ecological research and seeks long-term legal protection for the forests they help conserve.
One of these projects is the Neblina Reserve.
What is the Neblina Reserve?
The Neblina Reserve is a protected area of tropical montane cloud forest in Ecuador's Intag Valley, in the north-western Andes. Established in 2002, the reserve now covers around 2,928 hectares of threatened cloud forest.
Cloud forests are particularly special. Found on humid mountain slopes where clouds and mist are a constant presence, they capture water from the atmosphere and help feed streams and rivers. They are also exceptionally rich in biodiversity, with many species found nowhere else on Earth.
Neblina sits within the Tropical Andes biodiversity hotspot, the most biologically diverse of the world's recognised biodiversity hotspots. The area is home to an extraordinary range of plants, birds, mammals and amphibians, including Andean bears, pumas, ocelots, rare frogs and the highly endangered black-and-chestnut eagle.
Perhaps one of the most fascinating residents is the olinguito (Bassaricyon neblina), a small mammal that was only discovered by science in 2013. In 2024, researchers recorded an olinguito in the Neblina Reserve, highlighting the continuing importance of this forest as a refuge for rare and poorly understood species.
Why does the forest need protecting?
Despite their incredible ecological importance, cloud forests are extremely vulnerable. According to Rainforest Concern, cloud forests make up only around 2.5% of all rainforests, and around 90% of Ecuador's cloud forests have already been lost. Remaining areas face pressure from agriculture, cattle ranching, illegal logging, road building and mining.
The loss of individual areas of forest also creates another problem: habitat fragmentation. When forests become separated, wildlife populations can become isolated and animals may lose access to the larger areas they need to feed, breed and move between habitats.
This is why expanding Neblina matters. The long-term vision is to create a larger, connected network of protected forest linking Neblina with other reserves and community forests in the surrounding region. This would help reduce fragmentation, protect important watersheds and give wildlife greater space to move between habitats.
Recent camera trap images from the Neblina Reserve show how the reserve is providing vital habitat and acting as an ecological corridor for many threatened species. Among species seen were Andean bears (more than 17 individuals have been seen using the reserve), oncilla and puma, all on the IUCN Red List.
Endangered blackand-chestnut eagle on a nest in the reserve - there could be as few as 250 individuals left.
Puma caught on a camera trap in the reserve.
Population of many cloud forest species like the red brocket deer (Vulnerable) are categorised by the IUCN as decreasing due to habitat loss.
A juvenile Andean bear in the reserve, indicating healthy, breeding populations. Andean bears are not only an umbrella species but are also a key factor in the regeneration of cloud forest ecosystems, since they play a key role in the dispersal of seeds from over 300 plant species, which they eat and disperse over large distances.
Oncilla caught on a camera trap in the reserve.
In 2024, a mature male jaguar was caught on camera trap at Junin community reserve in the Intag-Toisán cloud forests, just 25 km from the Neblina Reserve. This is the first time a jaguar has been photographed in the region in decades. As large predators require a robust prey base, this jaguar is proof that biodiversity conservation in the region is working and has promise in improving further.
What has already been achieved?
Protecting a forest is a long-term process, and a lot has already been achieved at Neblina.
Rainforest Concern has expanded the reserve over the years, including securing an additional 192 hectares of cloud forest.
Legal protection has also been strengthened. After years of research, mapping and working with the Ecuadorian Ministry of the Environment, parts of Neblina were granted SNAP (National System of Protected Areas) status in 2021, giving them enhanced legal protection. A third area received the same status in 2022. Neblina is one of only a small number of private reserves in Ecuador to have received this level of protection.
The reserve is also actively monitored and protected. Forest guards carry out regular patrols to deter hunting, illegal logging and cattle grazing, while camera traps and GPS monitoring help researchers understand how wildlife is using and recovering within the forest.
Research has uncovered just how valuable this habitat is. A two-year project beginning in 2022 focused on the endangered black-and-chestnut eagle, with researchers studying nesting pairs, their behaviour and their habitat. The work is helping inform conservation measures and wider efforts to protect the species.
Rainforest Concern and its local partners also support environmental education and sustainable income projects in surrounding communities, helping address some of the economic pressures that can contribute to forest loss.
What's next?
There is still much more to do.
Rainforest Concern is working to expand the Neblina Reserve further, strengthening its connection with neighbouring protected areas and community forests. The aim is to build a more continuous ecological corridor through the Ecuadorian Andes, giving wildlife more connected habitat and helping protect the forest from further fragmentation.
Protecting newly acquired land is just as important as purchasing it. Once land is secured, it needs ongoing patrols, monitoring, research and community engagement to ensure the forest remains protected for generations to come.
"This is why we chose to support the Neblina Project. Conservation isn't just about protecting a piece of land today - it's about keeping an entire ecosystem connected and alive for the future."
We couldn't have done it without you!
Our support for Rainforest Concern is made possible through the people who choose to be with us. Every purchase helps us contribute towards projects that protect important ecosystems and the incredible species that depend on them.
We're proud to play a small part in protecting Neblina, and we're grateful that you are part of it too.
If you’d like to find out more about the Neblina Reserve, the species it protects and how you can support the project, visit Rainforest Concern’s Neblina Reserve page.