The Amazon Biological Station was founded in 1986 out of the need to have a conservation, investigation and education center to host scientists and students interested in the tropical rainforests. It is located on the southern bank of the Upper Napo River, in Ecuador at 450 m. above sea level. The average temperature is 25�C and it has the average of 200 rainy days per year. The station includes a reserve of 2,000 hectares (4,940 acres) of which 80 percent is primary tropical wet forest and the remainder is secondary growth. The forest reserve and facilities of the station are available for use by scientists carrying out research projects, by university and school groups conducting field courses, and by natural history tour groups.

The station is located on the southern bank of the Upper Napo River, at an altitude of 450 meters above sea level, at 1� 04' S, 77� 36' W, in the Napo Province.

This band of the Wet Forest is labelled as one of the most biological diverse areas, an Alpha Biodiversity Hot Spot.

Studies have demonstrated that there are 250 different species of trees in one hectare, and close to 1,500 species of plants in the same area. Out of more than 1,000 species of trees catalogued by Neill & Palacios, in the Ecuadorian Amazon Basin, 17 new species were found within the reserve.

Besides these, the Amazon Reserve has yielded many new species to science, just to mention a few: in 1997, Michael Schwerdtfeger descried a new species of Passiflora, naming it P. Jatunsachensis; Gregory O. Vigle lists more than 112 species of reptiles and amphibians. So far 222 species of orchids have been collected by various persons.

Numerous bands of saddleback tamarins (Saguinus Fuscicollis) are seen often. 51 species of mammals inhabit the reserve, including large cats like puma and jaguar, demonstrating how well the area has been preserved.

The station has two very important projects to help the local communities surrounding it; one is the Centro de Conservaci�n de Plantas Amaz�nicas (CCPA), which is a center for experimental silviculture, botanical garden and agroforestry extension programs. The second one is the Granja Org�nica (GO), a demonstration and educational farm for the communities, seeking to produce alternative food sources as well as income.

:: Amazon Programs

Various activities associated with the development of a reserve project, including maintenance and infrastructure expansion
Environmental Education Program: Interns develop and instruct activities and classes on conservation, biology, and human issues for local school children and adults. The program is taught both in local schools and at the reserve. Note: general fluency in Spanish and a three month minimum commitment is required to participate in the environmental education program
Education: We teaching English classes for the schools of the area. For this program we prefer volunteers who are staying longer than one month

:: Goals of the Amazon Reserve

Conserve and protect the natural environment with its ecological systems
Promote biological research
Strengthen the technical capacity of the country in conservation biology
Improve agricultural methods in the area through community extension programs
Research non-timber products for alternative sources of income
Develop reforestation models for the surrounding communities
Maintain a live collection of the most important and endangered plants of the area
Improve the health, nutrition and livelihood of the surrounding communities
Be the model for environmental education

To apply for this program, click here.