The critically endangered Giant River Otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) is restricted to the drainages of the Orinoco and Amazon river basins in South America and among the largest of the aquatic mammals to inhabit these neotropical rainforests. The giant otter measures approximately 2 meters from snout to the tip of its tail. They have been observed eating caiman and anacondas in...
In the seldom visited mountains high above Banos, a popular resort community poised between Ecuador's Amazon and Andean environments, lie spectacular flora seen but not yet known to science, including orchids much like the one I photographed here. As is the scenario for all too many species, before science can save this flora, like-minded people must secure the land on...
I enjoy sharing some of the human stories behind my work and my efforts to illustrate traditional ecological knowledge. My photography focuses on bio-cultural topics. The image above supports a story of indigenous science. Often the Kichwa men prefer to use a local tree known as "canela." This group of trees (Ocotea spp.) take up a high amount of silica...
I photographed this wild cocoa plant (Herrania sp., Family Sterculiaceae) in primary rainforest near Pañacocha lagoon (Pañayacu river drainage) in Ecuador's Sucumbios Province. I was captivated by the tentacle-like appendages of the petals set against the shadowed forest interior. The extended petals may attact pollinating insects. It is a close relative of the cocoa plant (genus Theobroma) which produces a...
It's a small country indeed, but imagine flattening out a crumpled piece of paper, and you begin to appreciate the tremendous land area held in Ecuador. This Andean nation, whose volcanic spine drops quickly down transitional ranges to Pacific coast and Amazon basin is the most biologically diverse for acre of any country in the world. Cloud forests and wet...
For over 20 years, the unsung botanists and agroforestry experts of the Jatun Sacha Foundation field station in Amazonian Ecuador have been using local rainforests as a living laboratory for experimental forestry and restoration. I’ve been creating a series of images in which I hope to convey how Jatun Sacha has built a stronger community as well. Local lowland Quichua...
Greetings All, I thought this image of a pre-Incan petroglyph I photographed near the town of Cotundo in the Napo province of Amazonian Ecuador might be a fun image with which to anchor this blog. We could venture to say this was the earliest form of blogging, leaving messages in a single place where others could come and visit. I...