Jama-Coaque Ecological Reserve

The Jama-Coaque Ecological Reserve (Reserva Ecológica Jama-Coaque) is a 1,203-acre (487 hectare) protected area of Pacific Equatorial Forest in coastal Ecuador. It is one of the last significant remnants of tropical moist evergreen forest and premontane cloud forest in the region between the Andes mountains and the Pacific Ocean in Ecuador. It is estimated that only 2% of the native forest still remains in coastal Ecuador. The Jama-Coaque Ecological Reserve is owned and managed by Third Millennium Alliance and partner Grupo Ecologico Jama-Coaque, both non-profit conservation foundations in their respective countries. It is part of the Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena biodiversity hotspot as designated by Conservation International.

The Jama-Coaque Ecological Reserve is located along the Jama-Coaque Coastal Mountain Range in northwestern Ecuador, in the Pacific Equatorial Forest. It is 19 kilometers south of the equator and 7 kilometers inland from the Pacific Ocean in the Upper Camarones River Basin. It is 3 kilometers inland from the small agricultural community of Camarones and approximately equidistant from the mid-sized coastal towns of Jama and Pedernales in the province of Manabí. The Bamboo House Research Station within the reserve is located at 0° 06’56.8” S, 80°07’29.5” W.

The Jama-Coaque Ecological Reserve was established by Third Millennium Alliance in 2007, initially as a 95-acre (38 hectare) private reserve along the peak of the coastal mountain range. From 2008-2011, the reserve expanded to 586 acres (237 hectares) through 5 subsequent land purchases, and presently covers 57% of the Upper Camarones River Basin. The reserve takes its name from the ancient kingdom that thrived in the region from 355 B.C. to 1532 A.D.

The Jama-Coaque Ecological Reserve climbs from 846 feet (256 meters) elevation, along the Camarones River, to a maximum elevation of 2,290 feet (698 meters) elevation at the peak of Cerro Sagrado mountain. The lowland part of the reserve is characterized by tropical moist evergreen forest and transition to tropical rainforest. Starting at approximately 1,900 feet (580 meters) of elevation, the forest rapidly transitions to premontane cloud forest, owing to the nearly constant fog layer along the crests of the coastal mountain range. The Jama-Coaque Ecological Reserve protects the headwaters of the Camarones River and three tributaries.

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