MISSION
To manage protected areas in the dry tropical forests of coastal Ecuador. Fundación Pro-Bosque emphasises reforestation, agro-forestry, research, environmental education, and ecotourism programmes.
Fundación Pro-Bosque
History
Fundación Pro-Bosque was created by a Ministerial decree on November 9, 1992 by the Ecuadorian Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.
Partnership with WLT
Fundación Pro-Bosque first met World Land Trust (WLT) at a symposium in the Netherlands in 2006 through mutual partner, IUCN-Netherlands. After discussions with WLT, Pro-Bosque submitted a proposal for help with reforestation at Cerro Blanco Protected Forest. In 2010, the partnership was extended in order to support Pro-Bosque with land purchase, and WLT funding has since extended the Cerro Blanco reserve by over 350 acres.
WLT FUNDED PROJECTS
COMPLETED
Cerro Blanco Project
Other projects and activities
- Running two tree nurseries, one at Cerro Blanco and one at Sigsipamba. Cerro Blanco nursery also has a display room and seed library
- Running ecotourism and hosting visitors to Cerro Blanco Protected Forest where there are exhibition rooms, guided trails, snack bars and picnic areas
- Environmental education with local community and youth clubs
Awards and Achievements
1998: BirdLife International declared Cerro Blanco Protected Forest the second Important Bird Area in Ecuador because of the high number of rare, endangered and endemic bird species
2000: The Ecuadorian Ministry of Tourism named the reserve a site of special tourist interest
2003: Awarded the title of Tourism Company through a pilot certification programme by the Ministry of Tourism and Ecuadorian Ecotourism Association
2010: Pro-Bosque reserve rangers won second place in two fire fighting competitions organised by the Ecuadorian Ministry of the Environment and Guayaquil Fire Department
2013: In 2013 Cerro Blanco Protected Forest was declared Ecuador’s first Area of Importance for the Conservation of Bats (AICOM)
2016: Pro-Bosque won first prize in the ¨Forests and Flora¨ category of the Latin America Green Awards