After cycling more than 16,000 kilometers (10,000 miles) from Canada, crossing Central America and the Andes, Tristan arrived at our Canandé Reserve in August, in the heart of the Chocó, completing the challenge he had begun months before. “When I was starting the journey, I was wondering how I could travel in a low-impact way, or even in a way that could leave a positive impact on the land I would travel through. This led me to discover the incredible work Jocotoco is doing here at the Canandé Reserve, and I thought I could contribute to its conservation,” Tristan says. His connection with Jocotoco came through Conserve and Art into Acres , partner organizations that support our conservation work.
His journey through Ecuador has allowed him to discover the country’s extraordinary variety of ecosystems and understand how landscapes, cultures, and communities gradually change along the way. In Canandé, that discovery took on a new dimension. “It’s been so incredible to be here, in this forest, and just experience how much it’s thriving in this protected state and witness all the biodiversity that exists here. It’s impossible to walk around this forest without feeling an incredible sense of wonder at all the creatures that surround us. There’s always something to look at, always something to discover. I can even hear the spider monkeys up in the trees. It feels incredibly special.”
For Tristan, this experience highlights the importance of acting in time to protect the richness that still exists. Between the Andes and the Pacific coast, the Ecuadorian Chocó ranks among the planet’s most biodiverse hotspots, yet only 2–3% of the original forest cover in western Ecuador remains. At our reserve, Jocotoco has protected nearly 20,000 hectares (49,000 acres) of forest, which provides refuge for unique animal and plant species.
During his visit to Canandé, Tristan saw our conservation work firsthand: “Jocotoco is patrolling, restoring, and studying the forest, but also providing community support for people that live just outside the boundaries of the reserve. It’s a really comprehensive way to approach conservation, and it’s really the only way to do it.”
Tristan rode all the way from Canada to help protect the Ecuadorian Chocó, a forest that has almost disappeared. Few of us will ever cycle that far, and we don’t need to. As a Jocotoco ambassador, he invites us to help from wherever we are, by supporting the work that keeps our Canandé Reserve thriving. Donate here.
