This project will protect the Palacios lot—40 hectares initially, with a window to expand to 278 hectares—that provides critical habitat for four recently discovered, locally endemic amphibians and one locally endemic reptile. This site is one of only two localities in the world for the reptile Hotsprings Lightbulb Lizard (EN), and it would become the only protected area for this species. The purchase also helps preserve habitat for threatened mammals—including mountain tapir (EN), spectacled bear (VU), and oncilla (VU)—and improves connectivity between Sangay National Park and the Olivier Currat Reserve. This grant was made under the Preventing Extinction Fund, a joint initiative of QRFN and Rainforest Trust.
Read more about this project.