July 27, 2026
Quito, Ecuador - July 23, 2026 — Ecuador has created a vast new conservation corridor linking more than 173,000 hectares of Amazon rainforest. The Yasuní–Limoncocha–Cuyabeno Corridor connects three iconic protected areas: Yasuní National Park, one of the most biodiverse places on Earth; Limoncocha Biological Reserve; and Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve.
As Ecuador’s rainforests become increasingly fragmented by development, the corridor will help keep habitats connected, allowing wildlife to thrive while creating a continuous landscape sustained by Indigenous stewardship. Its core areas include properties enrolled in Ecuador’s's Bosques para la Conservación program within the Kichwa communities of Sani, El Pilchi, Santa Elena, Itaya, Parutu Yacu, Mandari Panga, Limoncocha, San Francisco Chicta; the lands of the Indigenous Siona Nation of Ecuador (ONISE); and the Nationality Siekopai.
“This corridor reflects Ecuador’s commitment to participatory and inclusive conservation. Its recognition under Ministerial Agreement No. 019 reinforces a territorial management approach that links ecosystems, local communities, and long-term conservation efforts,” said Alicia Jaramillo Cabo, Ecuador’s Vice Minister of Environment and Marine and Coastal Affairs.
"Conservation doesn't stop at the boundaries of a protected area," said Carolina Rosero, Vice President and Executive Director of Conservation International in Ecuador. "The Yasuní–Limoncocha–Cuyabeno Corridor shows that conservation works best when we connect protected areas with Indigenous leadership, good governance and sustainable livelihoods — supporting people and wildlife."
The corridor is home to 3,690 plant species and 3,997 animal species, including threatened species such as the pink dolphin, jaguar, harpy eagle and the giant charapa turtle. It also sustains the Indigenous Siekopai, Siona, and Kichwa communities, alongside two provincial and three cantonal autonomous governments — strengthening local governance and sustainable land management.
The Ecuadorian Amazon remains relatively well conserved, but faces growing threats from deforestation, agricultural expansion, road infrastructure, extractive activities, and climate change. The corridor aims to address these challenges by strengthening ecological connectivity and reducing habitat fragmentation, both of which are critical to conserving wildlife and the benefits that nature provides to people.
The corridor combines management strategies across protected areas and restored landscapes, recognizing that not only continuous forest areas but also smaller patches of habitat are essential for maintaining healthy ecosystems.
“This corridor is the kind of connected, country-led conservation the Amazon needs: linking iconic protected areas, strengthening Indigenous stewardship, and keeping vital habitats for species from jaguars to pink dolphins,” said Claude Gascon, interim Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). “By supporting Ecuador’s sustainable landscape approach, the GEF is helping turn fragmented forests into a living network that benefits biodiversity, communities, and the planet.”
The corridor was developed through a partnership between Conservation International-Ecuador and Ecociencia–Kolibría, which collaborated on scientific data collection and carried out free, prior, and informed consent consultations with local communities.
The process also established a corridor steering group composed of representatives from local governments, Indigenous peoples and nationalities, environmental organizations, and local producers. The group will play a key role in managing and conserving the corridor, which is part of the "Amazonian Connectivity Corridors" project, co-executed with Ecuador's Ministry of Environment and Energy (MAE) and supported by WWF, under the Sustainable Landscapes of the Amazon Program, led by the World Bank and financed by the GEF.
Ecuador’s connectivity corridors are designed using ecological and socioeconomic criteria and developed through participatory and inclusive processes agreed upon with local stakeholders. This approach ensures their social, political, legal, and institutional legitimacy, in accordance with Ministerial Agreement 029, which supports this initiative.
“The Yasuní–Limoncocha–Cuyabeno Corridor is a priority landscape for WWF Ecuador because it connects some of the most valuable ecosystems in the Amazon and maintains essential habitats for umbrella species such as the jaguar. Protecting this connectivity means conserving much more than a single species: it means maintaining the functionality of forests, strengthening territorial governance, and working alongside Indigenous peoples, local communities, and local governments to ensure a sustainable future for this landscape,” explained Tarsicio Granizo, Director of WWF Ecuador.
Key facts about the Yasuní-Limoncocha-Cuyabeno corridor:
- Area: 173.339,609 hectares
- Linked protected areas: Yasuní, Cuyabeno, Limoncocha
- Ecosystems: 7 (4 terrestrial and 3 floodable)
- Local population: Siekopai, Siona and Kichwa communities
- A focal species-based approach was used to delineate connectivity routes in the corridor, selecting 31 key species with different dispersal capabilities.
About Conservation International: Conservation International protects nature for the benefit of humanity. Through science, policy, fieldwork and finance, we spotlight and secure the most important places in nature for the climate, for biodiversity and for people. With offices in 30 countries and projects in more than 100 countries, Conservation International partners with governments, companies, civil society, Indigenous peoples and local communities to help people and nature thrive together. Visit Conservation.orgfor more, and follow us on Conservation News, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.
About WWF: For more than 60 years, WWF has been protecting the future of nature. WWF, the world's leading conservation organization, works in 100 countries and is supported by more than 1.3 million members in the United States and nearly 5 million worldwide. In Ecuador he has been working for more than 20 years in different regions such as the Amazon, coastal marine ecosystems and Galapagos. WWF's unique way of working combines global reach with a scientific foundation, involves action at all levels, from local to global, and ensures the delivery of innovative solutions that meet the needs of both people and nature. For more information, see worldwildlife.org and wwf.org.ec.
About the GEF: The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is the world’s largest multilateral fund for the environment. Its family of funds works together to address the planet's most pressing challenges in an integrated way. Its financing helps developing countries address complex challenges and work towards meeting international environmental goals. Over the past three decades, the GEF has provided more than $27 billion in financing, primarily as grants, and mobilized another $155 billion for country-driven priority projects. For more information visitthegef.org and follow the GEF's social media: LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.