Cascales Municipal Conservation Area

04/09/2019

Protecting threatened forest in the Andes Mountains at the Cascales Municipal Conservation Area

We worked in collaboration with the municipality of Cascales, Andes Amazon Fund, and the MacArthur Foundation. Together, we created Cascales Municipal Conservation Area. This reserve lies in the critical upper Napo River watershed in Ecuador. The new area protects 152,021 acres of threatened forest. This ecosystem spans the highly diverse eastern slope of the Andes Mountains.

The reserve is located close to several national protected areas. These include Cayembe Coca, Sumaco Napo-Galeras, and Cofán Bermejo. Cascales will establish critical connectivity in the region. Specifically, the area will maintain migration corridors for vulnerable and endangered species. These include the northern pudu deer (Pudu mephistophiles), spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus), and jaguar (Panthera onca).

Cascales is one of six municipalities in the Water Route Association. This group supports and promotes water-based recreation and tourism on the Napo River. Nature & Culture supports the association with large-landscape conservation. Our work includes creating municipal protected areas. We are also establishing a local water fund. This mechanism will provide long-term protection to the area’s ecosystems.