Ecuador’s Sexiest Frogs
In July 2000, the UN’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre recognized 17 megadiverse countries which hold the majority of Earth’s species and high numbers of endemic species. The term megadiverse has been awarded to those countries that have at least 5,000 of the world’s plants as endemics and have marine ecosystems within its borders (source: atlasandboots.com). Ecuador, where the palm fresh fruit bunches are harvested to be processed into Palm Done Right ingredients, is one of these 17 megadiverse countries. Ecuador has around 23,056 taxonomic species of animals and plants reported, which constitute the 6.1% of all species reported worldwide.
Last month I was fortunate to experience Ecuador’s rich biodiversity firsthand. I visited three conservation sites together with Frank Pichardo and Jorge Castillo, conservationists at Ecuadorian based Tropical Herping. Though I travelled to Ecuador multiple times before, to meet with our Palm Done Right farmers and teams, this visit focused on conservation and the importance of forest and wildlife protection.
During a 10-day expedition I put on my boots to follow slippery trails, walk through dense cloud and rainforests, and wade through streams. I was able to feel the awe of species diversity, while trying to find tiny wildlife like frogs, toads, lizards and snakes, important indicators for ecosystem health.
