One bird discovery in 1997 grew into 50,000 hectares of protected Ecuadorian forest

When ornithologist Robert Ridgely found a previously unknown bird — the jocotoco antpitta — in Ecuador's Andes, the find sparked the creation of the Jocotoco Foundation. Nearly three decades later, the foundation protects 19 reserves covering about 50,000 hectares, sheltering 80% of Ecuador's bird species. At one reserve, formerly cleared land has recovered 90% of its original wildlife within thirty years, while local rangers and ecotourism jobs keep the work rooted in surrounding communities.