Tapichalaca Reserve, Ecuador

The Tapichalaca Reserve is located in the southern Tropical Andes in Ecuador, forming a 7,164-hectare corridor between Podocarpus and Yacuri National Parks, acting as a buffer zone for both these neighboring national parks.

The region is highly susceptible to human pressures driven by smallholder agriculture and has suffered annual deforestation levels of up to 10%.

Tapichalaca has an outsized impact for safeguarding biodiversity, particularly for endangered bird and orchid species. The reserve is home to over 800 plant species, including 30 endemic orchids, and Magnolia tapichalacaensis, a new species of magnolia tree previously unknown to scientists, discovered in 2025 and named after the reserve itself. Only 18 individual trees are known to exist, all within the reserve. 343 types of birds have been recorded, including the endangered Jocotoco Antpitta, discovered in 1998. The Tapichalaca Tree Frog, discovered in 2001, is also endemic to the reserve.

AI-powered soundscape analysis, using bioacoustic devices deployed throughout the forest, is being used in the reserve to capture and process important data on vocal species populations and behaviour. This is particularly valuable for elusive species like the Jocotoco Antpitta.

Tapichalaca is managed by Fundación Jocotoco, Ecuador's largest private non-profit conservation organisation, employing over 150 people. The foundation manages 18 reserves across the country and has saved multiple species from the brink of extinction.