Aves y Conservación (AyC) is an Ecuadorian non-profit founded in 1989. It is dedicated to research on birds and their natural habitats, as well as conducting activities to ensure their effective conservation. In addition to reforestation projects with Acción Andina in the Pichincha and Imbabura regions of Ecuador, AyC strongly supports the empowerment of local communities to protect nature for their own benefit. Active participation in their projects provides opportunities to support sustainable livelihood alternatives, such as by developing women’s capacities in managing tree nurseries. AyC tree nursery teams are managed almost exclusively by women, including single mothers, and provide excellent education to their staff who are then able to conduct workshops and training talks in new nurseries.
Juan is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and has a master’s degree in management and conservation of natural protected areas. Since 2001, he has worked with conservation organizations within various geographic regions of Ecuador. Those experiences ranged from working with mestizo and indigenous communities in community development to ornithological research, the creation of natural protected reserves, and environmental education. Juan coordinates the Conservation of the Black-breasted Puffleg project. He is also a nature photographer.
Francisco is a Renewable Natural Resources Engineer with considerable practical experience in botanical research, propagation of native plants, floristic inventories and environmental impact assessments. Among his Acción Andina responsibilities is training women from the Alambi and Palugillo communities to manage the tree nurseries. Since 2017, he has worked at Aves y Conservación as a botanist in three conservation projects. Francisco led the botanical collection of a plant-hummingbird interactions project and developed the first propagation protocols for 32 native plants. He has authored several scientific publications, including the description of new plant species for the Ecuadorian Andes.