From indigenous communities in the Amazon to the Los Cedros Biological reserve we will take a journey to Ecuador.
Nicola Peel has been working in the Ecuadorian Amazon for 20 years on a number of environmental and social projects.
2020 was a year like no other. Due to Covid all flights out of Ecuador were cancelled and she was locked down for almost 5 months in the12,000 acre Los Cedros Reserve.
A Key Biodiversity Area, the Choco in western Ecuador is a little known hotspot.
Nicola will speak about what it was like to be locked down in one of the most incredible intact ecosystems on Earth, where numerous critically endangered species still live, like the last troupe of brown headed spider monkeys , spectacled bears, pumas, over 800 species of moths, 300 species of birds and countless orchids.
During her stay, Nicola’s skills which won her the Campaigner of the Year at the PEA award were brought into action. Los Cedros was to be threatened by mining of gold and copper. This case would end up in the highest court of the land where the Ecuadorian constitution which lists the Rights of Nature was to be tried.
Working with a team of scientists and economists Nicola spoke at the court giving an economic value to the reserve. How can we put a price on Nature and what was the journey to get there?