Yanacocha Reserve, Ecuador

The Yanacocha Reserve protects 1,350 hectares of high-altitude cloud forest and páramo grasslands on the western slopes of Pichincha Volcano. Situated above Quito, the reserve acts as a safeguard for critical habitat in a region subjected to continuous degradation from smallholder agriculture and logging.

Yanacocha was primarily established to protect the upper elevational range of the endangered Black-breasted Puffleg, a hummingbird with a tiny global range and an estimated 100–150 individuals remaining in the wild. The reserve provides essential seasonal habitat required for its survival.

Yanacocha's habitat is home to four other globally threatened bird species: the Andean Guan, the Andean Condor, the Imperial Snipe, and the Giant Conebill. Mammals include the endangered Spectacled Bear, the Andean Wolf, the Western Andean Coati, and the Puma.

Yanacocha was acquired in 2001 by Fundación Jocotoco. Through a mix of active reforestation and natural regeneration, the reserve is recovering from previous selective logging. Fundación Jocotoco is 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.