The western slope of the Andes seen from La Hesperia.
Research and conservation in the cloud forests of Ecuador’s western Andes
Fundación Tangaré is an Ecuadorian nonprofit founded in 2009. We study and protect the wildlife, forest and water sources of the cloud forest, working from La Hesperia reserve.
Our mission
To conserve the cloud forests of Ecuador’s western Andes and protect their water sources, through research, education and the shared commitment of the people who live and work alongside them.
- Registered nonprofit
- Ecuador, since 2009
- Tax ID (RUC)
- 1792190967001
- Registration
- Ministerial Agreement 003, Ministry of the Environment
- Field site
- 700 hectares of protected cloud forest
Three programs
Our work is organized in three programs that feed each other: what we learn in research guides what we protect and what we teach.
Conservation and Coexistence
Protecting cloud forest and its water sources, and working toward a landscape where people, wildlife and forest can live alongside each other.
Research
Long-term wildlife monitoring and field studies, with visiting students and researchers.
Environmental Education and Communication
Field trips and lectures that bring students and the public into the forest and share what the research finds.
From the field
Behavioral contagion in wild Ecuadorian capuchins
The Ecuadorian capuchin is Critically Endangered and no longer lives in much of the area it once occupied. At least four of its groups move through the forest where we work.
A study of one of these groups, carried out with the Universitat de Girona and Fundación Tangaré, found that capuchins are more likely to scratch after seeing a companion scratch. It was published in the American Journal of Primatology in 2026.
Life in this forest
A few of the species recorded at our field site.
Where we work
Most of our fieldwork takes place at La Hesperia, a privately protected reserve about two hours from Quito. Its forest spans almost a kilometer of elevation, which is why so many species meet here.
La Hesperia and Fundación Tangaré are separate organizations that work together under an agreement: the reserve owns, protects and manages the land and hosts everyone who comes to work here; the Foundation is the nonprofit that runs research, education and conservation projects on it and manages donations.
Field site record: La Hesperia
- Locality
- Km 58, Vía Aloag–Santo Domingo, Pichincha, Ecuador
- Elevation
- 1,100–2,040 m
- Protected forest
- 700 hectares, protected since 1971
- Setting
- Toachi-Chiriboga Key Biodiversity Area, where the Tropical Andes and Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena regions meet
- Ecosystems
- Evergreen piedmont forest, evergreen lower montane forest and montane cloud forest
- Climate
- 16–30 °C; 2,000–3,000 mm of rain a year
- Birds recorded
- 297 species
- Mammals recorded
- 43 species
- Amphibians and reptiles
- 52 species
- Plants
- 2,000+ species (estimate)
Records kept by La Hesperia reserve. Species counts grow as monitoring continues.
Take part
There are three ways to support this work. Program fees and donations are what fund the Foundation.
Research and internships
Join a monitoring project or design your own study. From 4 weeks to 5 months, from $880 USD per month.
Volunteer
Help with wildlife monitoring, restoration and trails. From 1 week to 5 months, no experience needed. Ask for a quote.
Donate
Fund wildlife monitoring, reforestation and education. Donations go directly to Fundación Tangaré.
The forest is protected by people who decide to keep it standing
A donation of any size supports monitoring, restoration and education in the cloud forest.