The Garden of Dreams has survived for a decade from logging and the increase in the agricultural frontier in La Maná, in Cotopaxi

Frenchman Christopher Pellet visited several countries in Latin America before settling in an area of ​​107 hectares in the middle of the mountain in the canton La Maná, in the province of Cotopaxi.

A decade ago he bought the land on which there was illegal logging, now the Private Protected Forest El Jardín de los Sueños.

From the view of a drone it is a green savannah interrupted only by a handful of huts dotted in the middle of the forest, in which Pellet lives, who also has accommodation for scientists from various universities who study the ecosystem of the area.

The place is the refuge of dozens of species after a recovery process. In this backwater live 238 species of birds, 60 of reptiles, 36 of amphibians, 24 of mammals, more than 43 of bats, 170 of butterflies and 25 of fish identified in the rivers that cross the town of Los Laureles, the closest to the reserve private.

Illegal logging of trees and the threat of an increase in the agricultural frontier still persist in the vicinity of this protected area. The carnation, copal, laurel and sapan de paloma are a source of appreciated wood, which caused deforestation, like the pachaco, a species of tree introduced 30 years ago.

“Restoring, conserving and valuing the natural heritage of the region contributing to the development of a balanced relationship between men and nature” is one of the purposes of the private reserve, says Pellet.

The Frenchman’s life project turned ten years old. He was born on October 15, 2011 from a personal approach, a real desire to live in harmony with nature, he says.

The Private Protected Forest The Garden of Dreams is part of the hostpot Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena, that is, is within the areas of the planet considered biodiversity hotspots, because they are home to a large number of endemic species, unique to that place, and face constant threats.

Within this bioregion considered an international priority for the conservation of biodiversity is the Ecuadorian Chocó. These are the territories that run along the Pacific coast of the country, but of which only 2% of their original coverage is preserved, according to studies.

Audiovisual producer Santiago Uribe has documented the area with videos made with drones and photographs.

His images show the beauty of the site. “I accompany researchers in their field work to document their studies,” says Uribe, who is an engineer in Digital and Multimedia Design from the Indoamérica University.

The Pellet Dreams Garden is also the one of the inhabitants of the area, who learn in workshops how to coexist in the site with minimal damage to the ecosystem.

The project protects a hill near the Illinizas Ecological Reserve, all in the middle of the western foothills of the Andes Mountains, one of the most threatened sites in the country.

“This hill is an island of native forest in the middle of a territory that suffers intense anthropic uses with large areas of pasture for livestock and banana crops that each year increase its surface and destroy the few remnants of forest present in the area”Says Pellet.

The JDLS private protected forest acts as a reservoir of biodiversity, but it is also the source of various water sources that supply the surrounding population who depend on them as a source of quality water, he adds.

One of the great obstacles to conservation in the present territory is the lack of scientifically rigorous environmental information, acknowledges the founder of the reserve.

Hence, the scientific studies carried out make up for this shortcoming. “The investigations are a biological and ecological database that facilitate the management of environmental resources both within the project area and in the surrounding landscapes.”

This month an academic and scientific collaboration agreement was signed between the Indoamérica University and the Private Protected Forest Reserve El Jardín de los Sueños to continue the research.

One of the problems is the conflict between wildlife and its inhabitants, especially due to the presence of various species of snakes.

David Salazar, dean of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences of the Indoamérica University, conducts studies on the evolution, ecology and toxicology of poisonous snakes and those that are slightly poisonous in Ecuador.

His research is part of the environmental education workshops developed for the residents to recognize the value of the natural heritage of the area in which they live.

The physical characteristics of poisonous snakes are explained to them, so that they know their differences with those that are not, as well as their behaviors and the appropriate way to act if they come across one of these specimens.

“The aim is to avoid the bite of the snakes and not to kill them by identifying those that are dangerous from those that are not. Of the 37 species of snakes identified in the Garden of Dreams, only five are poisonous”, Affirms Uribe.

In one of the investigations, the proteins in the venom of the reserve snakes are identified.

Ibon Tobes, research scientist at the Center for Research and Conservation of Biodiversity and Climate Change (BioCamb) of the Indoamérica University, collaborates since 2018 in El Jardín de los Sueños with conservation and management projects of natural resources. In these, the inhabitants of the surrounding communities are involved in research on the fish, rivers and snakes in their environment.

In the studies participate students of Engineering in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources of the Indoamérica University and six graduates of the University of Navarra, in Spain.

There are also interpretive trails for the general public. The place is reached starting from the cantonal head of La Maná along a paved road until the middle of the section, the route takes half an hour to the town of Los Laureles.

From this site you advance along a tertiary path uphill until you arrive after 15 minutes at the huts built by Pellet, in the middle of the protected forest. A 4×4 traction car is required as the road is stony. (I)