These are organizations which RawRainforest Immersion Photography Tours find most knowledgable and effective.  Several non-profits are doing solid work to identify conservation needs in the forested habitats of Ecuador and supporting local communities through grass-roots education, events and technical advice.

• Ecuador Travel Information
• Photographers for Environmental Advocacy
• Resources for Rainforest Photographers

• The Biodiversity Group

Bruce Farnsworth has served on the Board of Directors of The Biodiversity Group (TBG), an international team of wildlife biologists, educators, and photographers dedicated to preserving the smaller majority of animal life on Earth. Rooted in the science of ecology, TBG illuminates little known communities of animals in shrinking wild places. Their citizen science projects in Vietnam and Ecuador – share the beauty, value, and scientific information to a worldwide audience through the camera-eye. And by fostering local education, TBG empowers people with the experiences, skills, and tools to steward the rich ecosystems that surround and sustain them.The org’s ultimate goal is to facilitate informed management decisions by people, governments, and land preservation organizations to keep incredible biological landscapes intact for future generations.

• Third Millennium Alliance

Bruce Farnsworth is formerly a member of the Board of Advisors of the Third Millennium Alliance, an organization that envisions a culture in which local communities recognize both the practical and intrinsic benefits of forest stewardship and manage the land accordingly, creating economic and environmental sustainability in the region. Their Jama-Coaque Reserve of prime Pacific Equatorial Forest is part of the Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena Biodiversity Hotspot designated by Conservation International, which runs from Panama to Peru, with Colombia and Ecuador in between.

• Ecuadorian Rivers Institute – Proposed Jondachi-Hollin-Misahuallí-Napo Ecological Corridor Campaign

Bruce Farnsworth has contributed photographic support over the years to ERI. Matt Terry, executive director, is a professional kayaker and self-trained hydrologist. ERI partners with the local organization, Fundación Rio Napo. Together, both organizations have formed a leading grassroots coalition of government authorities, contributing scientists and local indigenous and mestizo communities working to establish measures for watershed managements, sustainable energy design and river protection.

• Yasuní Rainforest Campaign of Save America’s Forest Foundation

Save America’s Forests has become a clearinghouse of sorts for news, research and conservation efforts in Ecuador’s Yasuní National Park and UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. Their site provides an excellent overview of biological and cultural diversity and lays out the direct and indirect impacts of petroleum development now facing the region.

• RICANCIE

Lowland Quichua communities sharing their local forests and culture as a sustainable source of income. We have wonderful personal experiences with this organization and will be developing future tours with their member communities.

• Jatun Sacha Foundation

This is Ecuador’s leading conservation organization with research and field stations throughout the country, including the Galapagos. Many of Bruce’s photographs were made at their biological research station near Tena, Ecuador at the western edge of the Amazon basin.  They provide many education and training programs for Ecuadorian high school and university students. Their field laboratories are leading the way in research on silviculture, rainforest ecology and sustainable micro-economies.

Wildlife Conservation Society
WCS supports long-term wildlife surveys and habitat use assessments conducted by Ecuadorian biologists. Two of their focus species are the giant river otter and the manatee. They are working in the Napo River valley, especially Yasuní National Park and watershed of the Cuyabeno, Limoncocha and Panacocha reserves. WCS supports projects which train indigenous Quichua and Huaorani as para-biologists and help these communities to establish community-based wildlife management plans.

UCLA Center for Tropical Research
Dr. Jordan Karubian leads the Center’s efforts in Ecuador. Projects focus on avian diversity and the involvement of local communities in education and para-biologist roles to effect long-term conservation. Studies are underway in the Amazon basin and Andean regions of Ecuador.

EcoMinga Foundation
Formed by a group of prominent scientists and conservation leaders, this organization works efficiently to identify areas of rare plant diversity and target the most threatened forest communities for protection.