Maquipucuna Foundation

Latin America is a breathtaking place that holds some of our world’s largest forests, rivers and species that impact our world today. Gearing up for a climb up Cotopaxi, located in the valley of volcanoes of Ecuador, we came across a nonprofit called Maquipucuna.

Ecuador is usually known for the Galapagos Islands located off the coast and known for Darwin's advancements in science, but what people do not know is that Ecuador is also known to have a cloud forest that impacts the fresh water supply in South America. 

Our goal was not only to climb Cotopaxi, but also to learn about how the natives of this beautiful country battle with developing nations, corrupt governments, and their own people who are not invested in preserving their forests. In order to get more insight into how Ecuadorians stand against the change that is cutting down their trees and culture to make room for a world that is built on capitalism and profit - a world in opposition to the preservation of the life and culture centered around their cloud forests and ecosystems - we talked with the people of Maquipucuna.  

Maquipucuna is an organization located in Quito, Ecuador and their mission is to empower and support the Ecuadorian communities on how to farm and care for their area of their rainforest. Rodrigo Ontaneda founded the organization along with his wife over 20 years ago. They felt the need to see sustainable, natural and cultural conservation of the ecosystem in Quito, Ecuador. 

https://www.maquipucuna.org/