Dollar Donation Club
Organization
Jocotoco
PERMANENT PROTECTION OF ENDANGERED SPECIES BY SECURING CRITICAL HABITAT
🛡️ Trust Rating
🧐 Risk Rating
Return On Donation
$1
What is it?
A proven conservation model that permanently protects endangered species by buying and safeguarding critical habitat
Snapshot
The Problem
The Red-faced Parrot is endangered, with only 1,200–1,600 birds remaining. These parrots depend on old-growth Andean cloud forests—habitats now disappearing due to logging and cattle expansion. Because the birds nest only in mature trees, every acre lost means fewer nest cavities and less food. Without protecting Selva Alegre, both the forest and the species will vanish.
The Solution
The only way to save the Red-faced Parrot is to protect the last intact cloud forests it depends on. Jocotoco has already purchased 500 acres of Selva Alegre and established a legally protected reserve. Their goal now is to double the reserve’s size, securing enough habitat for the species to rebound.
Impact to Date
Jocotoco protects 19 reserves across Ecuador, safeguarding 114,000+ acres and co-managing another 188,000 acres of private and communal lands—more than the size of New York City. They’ve planted 1.7 million native trees, restored 7,000+ acres of forest, and prevented extinctions ranging from rare magnolias to the Pale-headed Brushfinch. Their track record shows decades of measurable, species-level recovery.
Location of Impact
Ecuador
Impact Per $1
$1 protects 60 sq. ft. of cloud forest, enough space for a mature tree and nesting habitat for a Red-faced Parrot family.
Proof of Impact
All Jocotoco reserves receive the highest protection density in Ecuador—10× more rangers per acre than typical national parks. Rangers prevent logging and poaching, while scientists monitor parrots, nesting success, reforestation, and overall biodiversity. AI sound recorders detect birds, frogs, chainsaws, and gunshots in real time, creating an auditable record of ecological recovery.
Time to Realize Impact
Once funding is secured, land purchases take 3–6 months to finalize. Protection—and the halt of deforestation—begins the moment the land is acquired.
Fund Usage
Donations go directly to expanding Selva Alegre through land purchases.
85.7% land acquisition
4.3% legal costs
10% organizational support
Will it actually make a difference?
Yes. Each contribution supports acquiring land to establish a protected area in Selva Alegre which is the only way to stop deforestation and to keep the Red-faced Parrot from sliding closer to extinction.
How is the donation used?
Your donation directly supports expansion of Selva Alegre through land purchases.
DDC's Favorites
Clear and highly defensible impact model: permanent land purchase immediately halts deforestation and protects critical habitat.
Exceptional proof of impact, including species recoveries, ranger density far above national norms, and advanced monitoring (AI sound sensors, camera traps).
Long-term, landscape-scale vision focused on connected reserves, corridors, and climate resilience.
Key Drawbacks
Requires long-term funding to maintain protection and become self-sustaining.
Impact limited to protected areas, not broader systemic drivers.
Fund Usage
Donations go directly to expanding Selva Alegre through land purchases.
85.7% land acquisition
4.3% legal costs
10% organizational support
The Context
The Selva Alegre forest in southern Ecuador’s Andean foothills is one of the last strongholds for the globally threatened Red-faced Parrot (Hapalopsittaca pyrrhops), a species whose total population is estimated at fewer than 2,400 individuals worldwide. This montane cloud forest has been heavily fragmented by deforestation for agriculture and grazing, placing immense pressure on species that depend on large tracts of mature forest. Selva Alegre is therefore critical not only for parrots but for a wide range of Andean biodiversity increasingly vulnerable to habitat loss and climate change.
In 2024, the Jocotoco Conservation Foundation, in partnership with Rainforest Trust and American Bird Conservancy, began protecting this area by purchasing over 500 acres (≈200 ha) and establishing the Ridgely Reserve, named in honor of ornithologist Robert Ridgely. The organization aims to double this protected area, securing more continuous habitat at elevations ranging from about 2,800 m to 3,500 m, which also safeguards cloud forest watersheds vital to local communities and biodiversity resilience.
Why Selva Alegre Matters
Biodiversity Hotspot: The forest supports species found nowhere else on Earth, including the Red-faced Parrot and other endemic Andean birds.
Endangered Species Refuge: Protecting Selva Alegre helps stabilize tiny species populations that are declining elsewhere due to deforestation and habitat fragmentation.
Ecosystem Services: Cloud forests like Selva Alegre regulate water flow, sustain local freshwater supplies, and help buffer climate impacts for nearby human communities.
Landscape Connectivity: This reserve contributes to broader Andean conservation corridors linking Ecuador’s montane forests with adjacent ecosystems — enhancing long-term ecological function and species movement.
Despite its importance, continued habitat loss threatens both wildlife and watershed health. Jokotoco’s strategic land purchases and community stewardship are changing that narrative by protecting and expanding some of the last intact cloud forest in this part of the Andes.
Individual Questions
100% of contributions go to the Dollar Donation Club Fund, a wholly owned subsidiary of Legacy Global Foundation Inc, a public 501(c)3 charitable organization.
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