The Chocó Field Survey

In December 2024, I joined the Savia Foundation team on an expedition to the Chocó Cloud Forest in Ecuador, exploring a newly protected plot of primary rainforest recently conserved by Focused on Nature and Hussain Aga Khan, in collaboration with Fundación Jocotoco.

This region, part of one of the world’s most biodiverse hotspots, represents a critical stronghold for countless species found nowhere else on Earth. Yet much of it remains scientifically uncharted, with steep slopes, dense vegetation, and remote access keeping it largely out of reach even for seasoned field biologists.

Our mission on this expedition was twofold:

• Rapid biodiversity assessments — plant identification, camera trapping, acoustic monitoring of rare and endemic species — to establish baseline data for long-term planning.
• Documentation of the landscape and its inhabitants for future protection campaigns and fundraising.

Working alongside local experts, our small team trekked through steep, moss-covered slopes and mist-laden canopies, navigating a maze of hidden streams and towering buttress roots. This patch of rainforest, now protected from logging and agricultural conversion, represents not just an island of biodiversity, but a living laboratory for understanding resilience and adaptation.

It is a place where conservationists and indigenous communities work side by side — research, protection, and storytelling running together. The plot now stands as both a living laboratory and a working argument for expanded protection across the Chocó.