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Earth Day 2022

Let´s commemorate Earth together

Articles | News | April 2022

By Jorge Castillo, Lucas Bustamante, Daniel Romero-Alvarez.

We are quickly advancing to the mid-21st century. It's mandatory for the well-being of the planet and all the living beings who inhabit it to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and stop global temperatures from increasing. We have to contribute with a grain of salt to reach this goal. How can we do it?

Tropical Herping has looked for different strategies to contribute to conservation from the start. For us, protecting land in tropical rainforests and local people and organizations is crucial to mitigate the effects of global warming while preventing a significant loss of biodiversity. Deforestation is the primary cause of CO2 released into the atmosphere, and is also the main driver of species extinction. In a few places on Earth, this is happening faster than in Ecuador, where from 2002 to 2020 at least 193.000 ha of humid primary forest have been lost. However, very few people are aware of this problem.

It is part of the TH philosophy that ecotourism and community-based tourism are some of the best ways to foster environmental conservation, cultivate our mental health, empower local people and promote sustainable development (not just thinking about the economy, but always considering first its environmental impacts and social justice). During the last 13 years, we have teamed up with local communities, governments, and other organizations to provide unforgettable and meaningful experiences to our guests while raising environmental awareness and conserving rainforests. Through these experiences, we have offered our guests a few tools to contribute to mitigating the effects of global warming and protecting global biodiversity.

In the core of the Yasuni National Park, one of our local partners in Ecuador, the Añangu Kichwa Indigenous community, is a world-renowned pioneer in environmental and cultural conservation. Twenty years ago, they left aside logging, oil exploitation, and hunting to propose a community-based tourism project involving the entire community, from management to housekeeping, from the kitchen to paddling in the creek. By doing so, they have protected 21,465.38 ha within the tropical rainforests of the Ecuadorian Amazon, arguably the most biodiverse place on Earth, establishing a sanctuary for wildlife and preserving their ancestral culture, in which our guests can be part of this legacy and contribute with their part. This unprecedented effort has inspired the surrounding communities and people worldwide to make their own actions, under their own realities and needs.

On the other side of the Andes, in the Choco rainforests of Ecuador, we have partnered with the Jocotoco Foundation to contribute to saving the remaining 19% of these forests. Protecting these rainforests is crucial for our planet. These areas keep more quantities of carbon away from contributing to global warming, and they also host some of the most significant concentrations of species diversity on Earth. Together with Jocotoco, we have protected ~641 acres of forest. By joining us on any of our trips, you will help us to save one acre of rainforest in the Ecuadorian Chocó region.

Between the Northwest Andean, in the Chocó Andino Biosphere Reserve, Tropical Herping has contributed to several types of research that ended in the description of multiple new species for science: the Mashpi Glassfrog (Hyalinobatrachium mashpi) and the Nouns' Glassfrog (Hyalinobatrachium nouns) are the latest addition to this effort. Their names refer to their translucent bellies, which means you can see all their organs and bones like in a living-x-ray! We need to protect these habitats, where multiple other unique species likely live and remain undiscovered.

A very important and relevant destination for our friends and guests is the experience in the enchanted Galapagos Islands. Here our multimedia and storytelling work has been key to supporting local organizations and governments to promote the recent creation of a new Marine Reserve in the Galapagos. The impressive work of local people, researchers, and local and international organizations partnering with the local government has created a new 60.000 km2 marine protected area in the Northeast part of the Galapagos, connecting both the Marine Economic Exclusive Zones of Ecuador and Costa Rica. This new reserve in the Tropical Pacific will reinforce the protection of migratory species such as sharks, manta rays, sea turtles, and more. Some of these animals travel through the Galapagos Marine Reserve in Ecuador, Cocos Island National Park in Costa Rica, Malpelo Flora and Fauna Sanctuary in Colombia, and Coiba National Park in Panamá.

Video produced by Tropical Herping Team and Latente for Only One and Sea Legacy.

Since the first days of Tropical Herping, we have wanted to create precedents which contribute to do our part for the planet. For example, by traveling with us, you can be sure that our naturalists and photographers will take you to the best places to admire wildlife, they will share our top tips to get the best photos, and you will create the best and most unforgettable experiences. But really the most fulfilling part for us of this whole process is to promote traveling with a purpose. With a meaning, and what is the most meaningful way to do this if not leaving a footprint that will help the environment? At the end of the day, our team will translate your visit into protecting rainforests, mitigating climate change, looking for sustainable well-being for the planet, people, and species in general, and preventing biodiversity loss.

© 2022 Tropical Herping. All rights reserved. Tropical Herping is a tour operator and travel agency registered under the law of Ecuador.